


Sickeningly sweet like honey

by wertdifferenz



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, monthlyklance march prompts 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-01-07 11:45:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 34,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wertdifferenz/pseuds/wertdifferenz
Summary: My drabbles for the march prompts of @MonthlyKlance on tumblr.30 sweet stories of Keith and Lance in all universes.





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Title: For Him - Troye Sivan (the ultimate Klance-song)

Every day can be the start of something new.

At least that‘s what Lance keeps telling himself. That‘s also what his abuelo used to tell him whenever Lance was sad about something ending, like his favorite cartoon, or a good book series, or even his very first relationship in pre-school.

_Every day can be the start of something new, the beginning of a life changing adventure, Lancito. You just have to make the first step._

With a bunch of red carnations in one hand and Keith‘s favorite vegan ice cream in the other, Lance is ready to do just that. If, you know, Keith would finally answer his door.

„Keith?“ Lance tries again, knocking at the thin wooden door of Keith‘s dorm room with his half frozen fingers. He should have brought a bag for the ice cream, but he didn‘t anticipate standing here like an idiot for almost fifteen minutes.

_Maybe he‘s not here_ , Lance thinks to himself, but shakes it off immediately. Keith invited him over, after all, and with the lack of a spy-hole in the door he shouldn‘t know of Lance intentions either.

Or maybe he does, and stops Lance‘s plan before it can even begin.

With a sigh, Lance knocks again. Still no answer, and the bubble of dread in his stomach gets bigger and bigger.

This was a bad idea after all. Lance must have read the signs wrong; it wouldn‘t be the first time. He just thought that him and Keith have gotten closer over the last few months, and with less bickering and more tentative flirting from both sides, Lance had really started to believe that the stupid crush he‘s harboring since first semester would finally go somewhere.

Welp, seems like this is not one of the beginnings his abuelo always talked about.

Defeated and utterly embarrassed at himself, Lance leaves Keith’s ice cream at his door and turns towards the stairs at the end of the hall. He‘s just about to throw the carnations into the nearest trashcan when a shout behind him stops him dead in his tracks.

„Lance, wait!“

Lance looks over his shoulder just to see Keith standing in the middle of the hall, hand outstretched towards him and face just as red as the carnations in his hand. Keith looks at him for a brief second before his eyes wander towards the floor, and he retreats his hand to ball it into a fist and press it to his side.

Lance turns around and his shoulders slump down as a flash of shame shoots through his brain. He can see that he‘s the reason behind Keith‘s obvious distress. Lance looks at the flowers in his hand, a few petals already fallen to the ground from his rough treatment and the delicate stems probably crushed from his tight grip.

He realizes that he‘s treating their friendship just the same right now.

„I‘m sorry,“ Lance starts slowly, his free hand running through his hair and scratching his neck to help him focus a bit. „I misunderstood.“

Keith‘s head shoots up and he takes a step forward before stopping himself. He looks between Lance and the flowers, his mouth opening and shutting without anything coming out. The blush on his face deepens until his neck and ears are the same color as his cheeks.

„You didn‘t,“ Keith whispers, hardly loud enough for Lance to hear, but he hears it anyway. Even if he doesn‘t trust his ears for a second there.

„What?“ Lance asks quietly, the disbelief clear in his voice.

Keith clears his throat, takes a deep breath and finally looks Lance in the eyes.

„You didn‘t misunderstand.“ It seems that this is all the courage he has in himself, because his eyes move back to the floor when he continues. „I just- I saw you coming through my window and I… my heart wasn‘t prepared.“

„So you‘re not rejecting me?“ Lance‘s knows that his voice is full of hope, but he‘s having a hard time controlling himself with waves of relief flooding through him. He takes a few steps towards Keith until he‘s standing right in front of him.

Keith reaches out towards the flowers, tracing the red petals with a little smile. „Of course not,“ he answers softly, biting his lip as he looks up to Lance again.

Lance can‘t fight the smile appearing on his lips, doesn‘t even try to fight it and smiles even brighter when Keith joins in. He laughs quietly and steps closer to reach for Keith‘s hand. Lance leans a bit forward to rest his forehead against Keith‘s, creating their own little bubble of happiness in the middle of the dorm‘s hallway, but he doesn‘t care. He‘s too lost in Keith‘s eyes and the affection spreading through his chest to care for anything else but the boy in front of him right now.

Seems like his abuelo was right all along. It just takes a little step.


	2. Flowers

Keith never really though much about flowers, and even less about receiving them. As a boy he never got any for birthdays or any other celebration, and even when he started dating other boys they never thought of giving him some. Neither did he, but that‘s a different matter.

So, Keith never really thought much about flowers, until a bouquet of deep carnations mixed with white baby breaths appeared on the desk in the office of his garage. The bouquet is placed in a high cup from his little kitchenette, the stems already cut and the water inside the cup mixed with a powder that keeps them nourished longer.

There isn‘t a note attached to the bouquet, although Keith already knows where the flowers come from. His boyfriend is a florist after all, and has complained enough about the lack of plants in Keith‘s garage to let Keith solve this riddle without any further hints. 

Keith traces the petals of the carnations with his fingertips. Carnations are one of his favorite flowers, only because Lance told him their meaning, and how they fit perfectly to Keith. They represent deep love and affection, the same feelings Keith holds towards his boyfriend. The baby breaths are a nice plus, since they are the flowers of everlasting love, something that Keith wishes for their relationship.

Seems like Lance wishes for that as well. 

Seeing the flowers lift Keith‘s mood immensely. He is pretty busy right now, since it‘s in the middle of spring. With the temperatures rising, more and more people want to take their babies out on a ride, but after spending the winter in mushy garages, going to a professional for a check up is a good choice. 

Keith owns the only garage that specializes on motorcycles of the city. Most garages are for cars only, or mix cars and motorcycles together. Keith though is only really interested in bikes, the older the better, and has a good reputation for fair prices and good work among his fellow bikers. 

The little room of his workshop is full with four bikes, three more waiting outside on the little parking lot where Keith parks his bike as well. Keith needs to start thinking about enlarging his space, or moving to another place that has bigger workshops. Business is going well after all, and an expansion, maybe employing a few people, is something he could set as a goal in the near future. Lance would surely support him with that.

A knock on the big gate jerks Keith out of his thoughts. He looks up to the entrance and breaks out in a smile when he sees his boyfriend standing there, a lunch-bag in one hand, a bag from his flower shop in the other. 

„Hey there,“ Lance greets him while stepping closer. 

Keith quickly wipes his hands on his pants and comes up to meet Lance halfway.

„Hey,“ he greets back with a kiss. „Thanks for the flowers.“

„You like them?“ Lance asks carefully, since he practically broke into the Keith‘s office to place them there. As if Keith would be mad at him for something sweet like that.

„I love them,“ Keith answers with another kiss, wrapping his arms around Lance‘s waist to hold him close.

„Good,“ Lance grins, before lifting up the bag from his flower shop, „because I brought more.“

Keith eyes the bag for a second, because it‘s too small for a whole bouquet. „More flowers?“

„Nope,“ Lance shakes his head and opens the bag so Keith can look inside. A flowerless, green plant in a black pot greets him. 

„It‘s a snake plant,“ Lance explains after seeing Keith‘s puzzled look. „Good for the air, and they are pretty hard to kill, so perfect for your office.“

„Hey,“ Keith nudges Lance side and receives a cute giggle in return. Lance is right though, Keith is pretty shit at taking care of plants. The ones in his home only survive because of Lance‘s regular visits. „Thank you though, for the plant. And the flowers.“

„You‘re welcome.“ 

Keith reluctantly lets Lance‘s waist go, so he can wash his hands while Lance places the plant on the windowsill in his office. After they are done, they meet at the small table in Keith‘s kitchenette and Lance unpacks the lunch-bag. 

Lance had made it his mission to save Keith and his plants from dying of malnourishment, since Keith is a bad cook and even worse at buying anything remotely healthy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even though he tries his best to change that, he still has a long way to go. 

„Today we have chicken salad and some of my mom‘s garlic knots,“ Lance says while opening the little plastic containers. Keith gets a pair of plates and cutlery, and Lance starts pilling the salad on the plates.

„It looks great.“ 

Keith receives a big smile and another kiss as a thank you for the compliment, before he‘s released to dig in. They eat together, and Lance stays a few minutes longer so they can chat about their day and what they have planned for the evening. It‘s Friday after all, and even though Keith might stay a bit later because of his open projects, he still wants to spend the evening, and the rest of the weekend with his boyfriend. 

Maybe Lance can teach him a bit more about cooking, or even the flowers he has in his office now. He wants to keep them for as long as possible.


	3. Desert

Keith was so used to being alone in the desert, that he never considered how good a little bit of company would feel.

Growing up he spend a lot of time alone here, and after he got kicked out of the Garrison it was the only place he truly felt at ease. The vast expanses of the sand and the sky with a few mountains in the far distance are a familiar view after all, and even after finding a family and home within his friends, Keith sometimes longed for the freedom and simplicity of the desert.

What he never missed was the loneliness that accompanied him through long days and even longer nights without any soul to talk to. Being his home, the desert always held a bittersweet place in his heart, but it‘s also void of any person to love.

Until now, at least. 

Huddled into a cocoon of blankets and pillows, a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and the soft heartbeat of his boyfriend under his other hand, Keith lets out a content sigh into the starry night sky. Lance has whisked him away earlier that day to squeeze in at least one proper date before Keith has to leave for a blade mission again.

Lance takes a sip from his own cup and snuggles Keith closer to his chest, his arm wrapped around Keith‘s waist tightening as he lets out his own, content sigh.

„It‘s beautiful,“ he whispers between sips of his cocoa.

„It is,“ Keith whispers back, not wanting to destroy the moment with any loud noises. The desert around them is silent after all, no animals, not even a breeze of the cold wind making any sound.

Keith tears his eyes of the familiar constellations in the sky and turns a bit in Lance‘s arms to look at his boyfriend instead. The stars reflect in Lance‘s eyes, and the full moon illuminates his smile softly. As if nature itself would marvel at Lance‘s beauty. 

„Thank you for bringing me here,“ Keith says with a little smile. 

Lance looks down to meet his gaze, a smile on his lips as well. He squeezes Keith‘s waist before leaning in, and Keith meets him in the middle. The kiss tastes like the hot cocoa and the marshmallows Lance has brought as a midnight snack. 

When Lance releases his lips, Keith lets his eyes stay closed for a little while longer. He can hear Lance place his cup on the ground next to him with a chuckle before he feels a gentle hand on his cheek. Lance‘s thumb brush over the skin under Keith‘s eyes until he opens them again.

Keith is met with the sight of his boyfriend dreamy smile and the pure love and affection in his eyes. A wave of marvel rushes through Keith. In moments like this he feels overwhelmed with his emotion for Lance, and the feelings he receives in return.

Overwhelmed and vulnerable, Lance had explained at the very beginning of their relationship, being able to grasp Keith‘s inner turmoil without any problem, but don‘t worry about it. I feel just the same, but I don‘t mind being vulnerable with you. I even want to feel that way with you, because I know that I can trust you with my heart. 

„You‘re a little like the desert yourself,“ Lance murmurs next, his smile turning to a teasing grin.

Keith frowns at him, not knowing if this is one of Lance‘s weird compliments, or just another jab at Keith‘s complicated personality. „How so?“

Lance lets his eyes wander over sky before he meets Keith‘s again. „Quiet,“ he concludes, much to Keith‘s dismay.

Keith moves his free hand from Lance‘s chest to his waist, implying that tickles will follow if Lance dares to tease him even more. Lance takes the challenge with an amused huff, but relents after a few seconds. 

„You can be quiet, if you want to, but also really intense. It‘s like a full day in the desert. The nights are calm and quiet, and the days hot and intense.“ He kisses the frown from Keith‘s forehead. „Just like you.“

„You think I‘m hot?“ Keith teases back now, glad that Lance can‘t see the blush on his neck and cheeks from his position.

„You know I do,“ Lance answers with a grin against Keith‘s hair, and gently guides Keith to rest his head on his shoulder. „You are literal fire, babe.“ 

Keith laughs with Lance, breaths hot into his neck and feels the shivers on Lance‘s skin. He enjoys the reactions that even the simplest touches have on Lance. 

„You are like water, then,“ Keith concludes. „Like the ocean.“

„Hmm,“ Lance hums softly. „Someone has to keep you in check, after all.“

„I‘m glad it‘s you. I don‘t trust anyone else to do that.“

The squeeze around Keith‘s waist and the face buried in his hair is all the answers Keith needs. He is really glad that Lance brought him here today, is glad that he has a new memory of the desert now, and new feelings he can associate it with. 

Just like the desert he calls home, Keith is not lonely anymore. And as long as Lance stays by his side to keep him company, he will never feel lonely again.


	4. Crush

The moment Keith realized what it was, he wanted it gone. It was stupid after all, and totally not his style to have a crush, on his best friend of all people. 

And Keith tried his best to will it away, to keep these feelings away, but the crush stayed and one week passed, then one month, and then almost a year. By now he knows that it‘s not a stupid crush anymore, but a full grown infatuation. Though he would never tell anyone about it, especially Lance.

Sadly, Keith is not very good at dealing with emotions, and Lance has gotten so good at reading him, that he recognized Keith‘s weirdness before he did himself. Back then Keith could write it off at being exhausted from school and preparing for college, or just being annoyed at his brother and his boyfriend hanging around their house all the time. 

Later on, when they graduated High School and went to college together with the rest of their little group of friends, Keith claimed the first semester of college to keep him on edge, especially the exams and all the projects he had to finish. Then the holidays came around. Spending Christmas and New Year‘s Eve with his own family, and his friends and their families was stressful, even though it was a lot of fun as well. Most importantly, it lead Lance‘s attention away from Keith for a while, so he could have a little bit of space to breath for a couple of weeks. 

Now they are in the middle of their second semester at Altea University, and Keith‘s dilemma didn‘t sort itself out yet. It probably got even worse. 

He knows for sure that Pidge got a hold of his situation, and knowing Hunk and his never-ending curiosity, he should have found out by now. Keith is concerned if, or rather when, Lance will figure him out as well. 

Because with all his slip ups, his stupid blushes, his stuttering and the casual touches he makes somehow awkward, it‘s only a matter of time. 

The worst thing is that Keith has no idea how Lance will react. They are close, of course, they are best friends after all, but even after years spend together he sometimes has trouble understanding the deep emotional spectrum that exists in Lance‘s brain, or rather his heart. 

Lance never slips up like Keith does, since he‘s affectionate with everyone and everything, especially with Keith. But he‘s been for years, even before Keith was really comfortable with it, and the amount of hugging and cuddling he demands all day long hasn‘t really changed. 

Lance is also very open about his feelings. It doesn‘t matter if male or female, he loves both without having a particular type. Lance had quite a few partner in High School, and tried dating in college as well, even though he wasn‘t quite successful yet. That might be his own fault though, because his standards have risen quite high since last year. 

Even without there being a type, all of Lance‘s partners and dates had something in common: they were exceptionally beautiful. With Lance looking like a photo model himself, it‘s clear that he would get the attention of many other pretty people How can Keith compare to them?

His hair is a mess, and apparently in a hairstyle from the 90s. Keith had thought about cutting it, but even though Lance teases him about his hair all the time, he vehemently fought off every scissor or hair stylist that came near Keith. 

Another problem are his clothes. Lance likes to wear bright colors and pastels, whereas Keith‘s wardrobe consists of black and red, with some white shirts thrown in between. Even those white shirts are more grayish than anything else. 

Lance is also a social butterfly. He has many friends, even more acquaintances. He knows almost every person on campus, and everyone from their classes on a first name basis. Keith has a total of five friends, six if you count his brother‘s boyfriend. 

All in all, Keith has zero chances. Even if the whole ‚messing-up-their-friendship‘-problem wouldn‘t exist, Lance is still way out of his league. The possibility of aliens attacking earth is probably higher than Lance even considering Keith as something more than friends. 

„You‘re being stupid,“ Pidge informs him for the twelfth time this week. 

They are studying together with Hunk in Pidge‘s dorm room. Lance is still stuck in a late afternoon class, so it‘s just the three of them for now, until he joins them later on. 

„I know,“ Keith answers after a second, knowing exactly what Pidge is referring to. It‘s always the same topic after all. „But I don‘t care.“

„Well, I do.“ Pidge closes her laptop and puts it on the side of the table, which usually means business. 

Next to him, Hunk is closing his book as well, having noticed Pidge‘s sudden change of topic and silently adding his approval.

Keith tries to ignore both of them, and their knowing looks, by concentrating on the notes he just took. Only that he didn‘t take any notes, since he‘s been spacing out for most of the afternoon, thinking about the movie night he and Lance have planned for the evening. 

„Keith,“ Hunk starts carefully, „Pidge is right. And as much as I don‘t like the phrasing, you are being stupid.“

„How do you know?“ Keith snaps, even though his voice is quiet, almost timid. It‘s a bit of a painful topic after all. 

„He‘s not blinded by his own feelings,“ Pidge says matter-of-factly, pushing her glasses up her nose before continuing. „Anymore at least. You are though, and I suggest you take a step back from all those feelings to get a better look at it.“

„I have no idea how you want me to do that.“ Keith frowns at her, then Hunk, then his paper when he can‘t stand their looks anymore. 

Hunk sighs loudly, pocking at Keith‘s arm on the table until he knows that he‘s got his attention. „Man, I know it‘s not easy. Look at me and Shay…“

Keith smiles at that, or rather the drama him, Lance and Pidge had to endure until Hunk finally realized that Shay might reciprocate his feelings, even if it was obvious to every bystander. It was horrible to watch back then, even if it‘s nothing but a funny memory now. 

„I promise you and Lance are doing the same right now,“ Hunk continues. 

With raised eyebrows Keith looks up. He knows what Hunk is implying, but that only stand for him, not Lance. 

Right?

„Before you ask what he means,“ Pidge interrupts before Keith can even open his mouth, „I suggest you try to see it for yourself. You‘re having a date night tonight, right?“

„It‘s not a date night,“ Keith murmurs, although it‘s almost too quiet for Pidge to hear. 

„Anyway.“ Pidge shares a look with Hunk, and they have a silent conversation before glancing at Keith again.

Hunk speaks up first. „Why don‘t you look at Lance tonight. Really look at him, not just the glances you shoot at him when you think no one is looking-„

„I-„

„Oh, don‘t deny it. We know!“ Pidge shouts, throwing her hands in the air with a sigh. „It‘s disgusting!“

„It‘s cute,“ Hunk scolds with a stern face that gets all soft again when he turns back to Keith. „Just try. You might be surprised what you will find.“ He sends Keith an encouraging half-smile while squeezing his shoulder. 

„Okay,“ Keith relents after a few seconds, because he knows that they won‘t stop talking if he doesn‘t at least try. 

But he doesn‘t do it only for them. Keith is curious as well of what he might or might not see tonight. He doesn‘t dare to hope that maybe, just maybe, his problematic feelings might not be a problem after all.


	5. Morning

It was a rare thing to have a whole morning to themselves.

Their days are usually packed with training, coalition meetings, missions or the common surprise battles that occur when they meet a Galra fleet unexpectedly. Sometimes they don‘t even have time to eat, or sleep, or spend a few hours together; not as Paladins, but as friends.

When Allura cancelled the early morning training session at dinner the night before, everyone accepted with a tired nod and went on with trying not to fall asleep while eating.

Hunk had grabbed Pidge after dinner to work a little longer on the translation project they have going on. They scurried of as soon as the bowls of food goo were finished. Shiro went ahead to the castle‘s observatory to familiarize himself a bit more with the solar system they are currently staying at. He really seems to like the few inhabited planets and the people living there.

Allura exclaimed that she‘s going to do something like a spa night, and Lance was inclined to join her, until Keith quickly squeezed Lance’s hand under the table to keep his mouth shut. In his mind he had already made plans to spend the evening with his boyfriend, and he wouldn‘t let Lance destroy the plan by pampering himself with someone else.

Lance, thankfully, got the message and let himself get dragged to his own room by Keith after dinner. They did one of the face masks Lance had wanted to try out for a while, and Keith even let Lance play with his hair and braid stupid hairstyles to his heart‘s content.

Keith simply enjoyed the loving touches of his boyfriend, as well as the closeness they didn‘t have for the past few weeks. The missions and meetings kept them apart, and even sharing a room, and a bed of course, didn‘t help them at all when one of them was always gone.

Even if Keith had wanted to do more things with Lance, like watch an Altean movie they didn‘t understand, or take a nice, hot bath together, they fell asleep almost immediately after washing off the face masks. They were tired after all, and as soon as Lance cuddled into his chest, they were gone, and slept until the next day.

The thing about early morning training is, that if you do it regularly, your body falls into a routine. Lance is still far from it, since he‘s still soundly asleep in Keith‘s arms, but Keith himself is wide awake. Has been for the past twenty minutes, because his body things that it‘s time to exercise, and as much as his brain is trying to explain that they can sleep in, his body won‘t listen.

It isn‘t really a bad thing, to be awake before Lance. Keith likes these mornings with his boyfriend, when he can watch Lance sleep for a little while before they have to get up and face the day. He loves seeing Lance‘s bed hair and the little cow licks of his curls. He loves the soft snoring whenever Lance lays on his back or his side, and he loves the deep breaths and soft sighs Lance lets out whenever Keith holds him closer or runs his fingers over Lance‘s skin.

Keith just loves these quiet mornings. And he loves his boyfriend. Even is said boyfriend is currently drooling on Keith‘s shirt.

Lance murmurs something in his sleep until he throws an arm over Keith‘s chest and cuddles closer. He smacks his lips a few times, but is completely quiet after that. For a second Keith thought that Lance would wake up, but it seems that he has a few more minutes to calmly stare at his boyfriend.

The day circle of the castle starts up and the lights begin to brighten slowly. Keith wishes the light could look like the sun on earth, all red, orange and golden, and illuminating the room and Lance‘s cute freckles with it‘s stray rays. Now they only have the artificial white light, but it still makes Keith see Lance‘s face better, so it‘s good enough for him.

Keith runs the hand Lance is laying on over his back. Lance is wearing his blue pajamas, but his shirt has ridden up during the night and Keith‘s fingers stray to the slip of warm skin under the blanket. His other hand goes to Lance‘s face, brushing a few strands from his forehead and playing with the soft curls in the nape of his neck.

Lance breaths in and his eyebrows furrow the second he opens his eyes. He takes his time waking up, adjusts to the light and blinks the sleep from his eyes before looking up. It takes him a second to register where he is, but when he does a bright smile appears on his lips.

Keith matches the smile before he leans down to kiss his boyfriend.

„Mmmh,“ Lance hums into the kiss, still smiling like the sun when Keith releases his lips. „Good morning.“

„Morning,“ Keith murmurs, his voice just as hoarse as Lance‘s. He clears his throat, but it doesn‘t really help. He would need some water or a cup of space coffee to fix that.

But just the thought of getting up doesn‘t sit well with Keith. He‘d rather stay with Lance in their bed for the rest of the morning until Allura calls them for some afternoon drills.

Keith wraps his other arm around Lance‘s waist and sighs into his hair. Lance smells like the shampoo Coran found on the market of the last planet they visited, a little bit like coconut, but with a sweet tang to it. Keith likes the smell and nuzzles his nose into‘s Lance curls, receiving a laugh from his boyfriend.

„What are you doing?“ Lance giggles into Keith‘s neck.

„Smelling you,“ Keith answers simply, nuzzling a bit more just to prove a point. „I like how you smell.“

„That‘s so weird,“ Lance huffs. „Are you still asleep?“

„Maybe.“ Keith closes his eyes and enjoys the warmth of the blanket and Lance‘s body in his arms for a while. Lance is all soft and pliant in his arms, quietly playing with the hem of Keith‘s shirt. His lashes tickle Keith whenever Lance closes his eyes, and his warm fingers send sparks through Keith‘s skin when they slip from his shirt to his back.

„I like this,“ Lance murmurs, eyes closed again and fingers stilled. „Sleeping in with you…“

„It‘s nice,“ Keith finishes, his own eyes getting heavier with every deep breath Lance blows into his neck. He doesn‘t know when he dozes off, only feels his body getting lighter and lighter, and the warmth in his arms slumping further and further into his hold.

Gosh, Keith loves mornings like this.


	6. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of my Mer AU! [Here is Part One!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42484292)

The cold waves slosh around his lower body as his chest and back slowly dry in the warmth of the setting sun. A quiet breeze helps as well, but it‘s mostly the last few rays of sunshine that do most of the work.

Lance is resting on a sandbar next to an uninhabited tropical island he doesn‘t know the name off. Human named it, after all, since mermaids don‘t really have use for names considering stuff above the water. They named the surrounding reefs, as well as the sandbar he is resting on, but not the island.

A sigh escapes his lips and he leans down to rest his head on his elbows. His eyes are still above the water, so he can see where the sun unites itself with the sky. There are no clouds above him, and when he turns around he can already gaze at a few stars.

It has been quiet a long day, packed with work and other things to do. A few mer working at the nursery got sick, but the guppies still needed to be taken care off. Their parents were out to hunt for the colony after all, and couldn‘t stay home all alone. The parents did come home earlier today though, since the childless or unmated mer volunteered to hunt a bit longer to make up for them.

But that also meant that Keith wouldn‘t get back home before the night. Keith is one of the best hunters of the colony, and since he and Lance don‘t have any guppies themselves, he is one of the mer who go on the longest hunts, or take some work off the others hands.

Lance isn‘t angry at him for doing that, he would do just the same. How many evenings has Keith spend in an empty home because Lance couldn‘t leave the nursery sooner? Probably just as many as Lance.

So, Lance isn‘t angry, or disappointed. He is just a little bit lonely. It has been a while since he and Keith spend a whole day together, and even the evenings are cut short by both of them being tired from work. And cuddling in bed the whole night makes up the touch-starvation, but not quite the talking and laughing together that Lance missed so much.

With another sigh Lance dips his head beneath the water. Little waves play with his short hair as well as the ruby placed around his neck. Lance touches it gently, and holds it up towards the faint light of the sun. It reflects the rays and paints his hands in light and dark reds, just like Keith‘s scales look when they rest on a beach above the water.

Lance lets himself get washed away by the waves for a while. He relaxes his arms and tail and rolls around in the water until the current pushes him onto the beach of the island. The sand here is warm and dry, and it sticks to his wet body. Lance‘s tail is still halfway into the water, so he doesn‘t need to fear to dry out any time soon.

A few of the big brown and green plants around him make soothing noises when the wind breaths through them. Some little crabs join Lance on the beach, probably looking for food in the wet sand the waves leave behind. Lance can even hear a few birds in the distance, singing for their mates and children.

A big fish is dabbling in the water near the beach, coming closer to the shore in a steady rhythm. Lance pays it no mind, until he realizes that fish don‘t get so close to the islands. Neither to sharks, or dolphins, since they have no arms to pull them back into the ocean when they beach themselves.

Lance opens his eyes just as he is ambushed by a laughing mer. _His_ laughing mer, Lance realizes a second later.

„Keith!“ Lance giggles with his mate, and wraps his arms around Keith‘s waist to pull him closer. They are almost laying on each other, only their long fins side by side, but Keith changes that quickly with a smooth swipe of his tail.

„There you are,“ Keith says with a bright smile, placing his arms next to Lance‘s head to brace himself in the sand. His hair is dripping on Lance‘s cheeks, flowing like a dark waterfall around his shoulders and face. Lance can‘t help but run his fingers through a strand and enjoy the silky-soft feeling.

Keith takes his hand after a few strokes and rests it on his cheek. „I‘ve been looking for you,“ Keith murmurs with his eyes closed. He looks tired from the long hunt, even though he finished much earlier than Lance had expected.

„I thought the hunt would take longer, since half of the mer are missing,“ Lance answers. His free hand tugs a dark strand behind Keith‘s ear before it settles on his waist again.

„Hm, we managed,“ Keith says, hiding a yawn behind his hand. He rests his head on his arm, squishing his cheek adorably with the motion. „We brought some nets with us and found a shoal of fish we could catch without the parents.“

Keith looks to his side, and Lance follows soon after. The sun is still setting in the distance, even is most of it is sunken into the ocean by now. The sky is colored in red and orange, with violet just like Keith‘s eyes right before the starry sky starts.

The last few rays of sunshine land on Keith‘s tail just like they did on the ruby earlier, making them sparkle in light colors until the light fades. Lance loves this view just as much as the sunset. Keith‘s scales are the most beautiful one‘s Lance has ever seen, even though they are ripped here and there from the hunts.

When Keith‘s eyes close and he starts drifting off, Lance quickly shakes him awake before he‘s gone for good.

„Keith, we can‘t sleep on the beach,“ Lance huffs, rolling his boyfriend off him in one, swift move Keith plops into the sand like a big ball of seaweed, frowning at Lance for waking him so unpleasantly.

His frown disappears though when Lance leans over to kiss Keith‘s forehead, then his temple, his cheeks, until their lips finally find together. Keith smiles into the kiss, and Lance can do nothing but smile as well.

„Come on,“ Lance murmurs softly, „let‘s get home.“

Keith steals another kiss with a hum. „Yeah.“

Keith shuffles into the water until it‘s deep enough for him to swim, holding out his hand for Lance to pull him in as well. He doesn‘t let go of his hand as they leave the island and sandbar behind them, holding on tight until they reach the colony and their home.

And when it‘s time for them to head to bed, their hands find together again, holding onto each other even in their sleep.


	7. Late Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of Internet Friends! on [Here is Part One!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42484532)

Some kids have serious issues, like money wise, or problems with their health.

Keith though, is simply a night owl. A very bad one on top of it.

Usually, even night owls wake up early enough to get some grocery shopping done before the stores closes, or stay long enough up to just go the next morning. But with college, his part-time job and studying for exams on top of it, Keith doesn‘t really have time to do anything besides these three points if he wanted to get at least three hours of sleep in.

Which he usually didn‘t, by the way. That‘s why he‘s bad.

Here comes the night owl part.

To be honest, Keith does have some time between college, work and studying, but he opts for spending that time watching documentaries on netflix or training in the nearby fitness studio. Friends are not really his priority, since most of them are living in random parts of the world anyway, and he just writes them thorough the day and night if he wants to talk.

Keith‘s phone vibrates just as he enters his favorite twenty-four-seven diner. It‘s in the middle of the night, quarter to four the clock on the wall says. But Keith is awake thanks to a late shift and a nightmare right after he went to bed, and since his favorite internet friend is working through the night today, Keith is left alone with his thoughts and misery.

The waiter behind the counter quickly pockets his phone and looks at Keith with a customer-service smile which brightens up as he recognizes his patron. Keith has been here before, enjoyed the fluffy pancakes and hot coffee in the middle of the night whenever Blue is not available.

„Hey there,“ the waiter greets happily, „welcome.“

With a menu in his hand he follows Keith to his usual seat at the counter, right next to the empty cake display. The waiter, _Lance_ he reminds himself, pushes the menu over before leaning on the countertop and watching Keith while he looks over the pages.

When Keith is done, he closes the menu and pushes it back towards Lance.

„The usual,“ he says, enjoying Lance‘s smile brighten even more over the stupid little act of reading the menu.

They do this every time Keith gets here, as long as he‘s the only guest around. Keith doesn‘t really dare to distract Lance when he has other patrons to attend to. That‘s why these quiet nights are even more special, because they don‘t happen so often, and only during the week. Weekends are busy after all, with all those drunk students from surrounding campuses that need coffee and carbs to get through their party-nights.

With a chuckle Lance turns away from Keith to prepare his drink. As soon as the cup of black coffee is placed in front of him, Keith grabs it and drinks it greedily in a few gulps. He feels the warmth spread through his body, and the comfort it brings him whenever he is here.

Lance looks at him unimpressed, already used to Keith‘s weird consumption of burning hot beverages. Since they have to wait for the chef in the kitchen behind the counter to finish Keith‘s pancakes, Lance takes up his usual spot in front of Keith again.

„Why do I only see you here in the middle of the night?“ Lance asks with raised eyebrows, his head resting on his hand, elbow resting on the counter. He is fiddling with the strap on his phone, a little shark on a blue keychain that looks quite familiar, even though Keith can‘t place where he‘d seen it before.

Instead he looks at Lance, tries not to frown but fails completely. „Nightmares,“ Keith answers after a second, figuring that he is way too tired to think of any nice-sounding excuse.

Lance‘s eyebrows raise even higher, and his lips pull into a thin line. He looks towards the kitchen. The chef is still occupied with the pancakes, so he turns back and leans a bit closer over the counter.

„I know we are not, like, super close,“ he starts carefully, „and I‘m not some therapist that could actually help you, but do you wanna talk about it?“

Keith recoils for a second. Lance is right, they are not close at all, and even if they were, Keith doesn‘t even talk about his nightmares with his closest friends. Talking to a stranger about them felt a bit like betraying Blue and his trust in Keith, as well as his concerns.

Lance seems to get what Keith is thinking right now, because he braces his arms on the counter and leans backwards. „Sorry,“ he says quickly, „that was too much, right?“

„No… uhm…“ Keith doesn‘t really know what to say, but he doesn‘t want to make Lance feel awkward or like he overstepped. „No, it‘s okay. I just… don‘t want to talk about it, I guess.“

„You guess?“

„Yeah,“ Keith nods, trying to look convincing even though he‘s starting to doubt himself. With so many people offering him to listen, maybe he should really consider talking about it in the future. But definitely not with Lance, when he still got Blue who worries even about him.

„Okay then,“ Lance says, his frown slowly getting replaced by a tentative smile. „Wanna listen what my nephew did instead?“

Keith huffs, can practically feel the heavy air between them disappear as he leans on the counter like Lance did before. Just as he is about to accept the change of topic, the little bell on the window of the kitchen rings and a plate with pancakes gets placed on the windowsill.

Lance gets the pancakes, as well as some cutlery and napkins and places everything in front of Keith. He refills Keith‘s coffee as well before getting called by the chef to help him with something in the back.

„Well, I guess I have to tell you later,“ Lance offers with an apologetic smile.

Keith waves him off before digging in, enjoying the fluffy pancakes and the sweetness of the maple sirup, which mixes great with the bitterness of the coffee, if you ask him. He takes his time eating while Lance and the chef unpack some boxes in the back and stow everything away.

Lance doesn‘t have time to talk after that, only to let Keith pay for his stuff and see him off with another smile. „I‘ll tell you next time,“ he says before Keith vanishes through the door, knowing exactly that Keith will be here to meet him on his night shift.

They always meet on Lance‘s night shifts, after all.


	8. Lions

Even before Red‘s consciousness was put into the body of a mechanic lioness, it had been well aware of the things going on around it. Like the other lions, Red is as old as the universe, and has seen just as many things.

It has witnessed the very beginning of the known and unknown universe, the beginning of time and, a little bit later on, live itself. It has witnessed the birth and death of people, civilizations, even whole planets. It has seen what hate can do to a person, just as much as love can do to another.

With the arrival of the first generation of Paladins, Red had decided to focus on her pilot instead of the whole universe around it. Just like the other lions, it developed a bond with its paladin, King Alfor of Altea, and just like the other lions it watched with delight how he fell in love with a beautiful woman, married her and lived happy for a while, until war came upon them.

Now, ten thousand years and the next generation of paladins later, Red is sure that it has seen all. That is, until that weird courting between the Red and the Blue Paladin started.

You see, with all those different civilizations and living beings Red had encountered, it thought that it knew everything about love and courting there is to know, but the Paladins showed it a very new approach to that matter.

The Paladins seem to dislike each other, constantly fighting over the most minor things, only stopping when it comes to important matters like the fight against the Galra. Red and the rest of the lions were not sure how they are even able to form Voltron together until they deepened the bond to their Paladins and got to see their real feelings.

The Red and the Blue Paladin love each other dearly, even though they try their best not to let the other know. Red doesn‘t know why, or how their cubs got so far that they think that their feelings are not reciprocated. It only knows that it is quite sick of it.

That‘s right. The mighty Red Lion is so sick of it.

Seeing those two idiots dance around each other, hurt each other with words and remarks just to make sure that they stay as far away from each other as possible, not allowing any of these feelings that are rooted deep inside their hearts to get out.

It is so sick of it, has had enough long time ago, and the other lions are feeling the same.

And with time passing on, and the war demanding its tributes, it is only natural that Red accepts only the Blue Paladin as its new pilot.

With the hope of letting their dumb cubs get closer that way, Blue accepts her loss as well as her new pilot with little grudge. It‘s for the happiness of her own cub after all, and she‘s just as sick of their courting, or rather the lack of it, as Red and the rest of the lions.

Thankfully, it works out. With the Red Paladin totally sucking at leading the team, it‘s the Blue Paladin‘s time to shine. He is the heart of Voltron after all, making sure that everyone is safe and sound, especially their team leader.

All those fights slowly form into playful bickering, and step by step their cubs leave their differences behind and form a strong bond, stronger than Red and Blue have ever seen it before.

And when it‘s time for the lions to leave their Paladins behind, Red knows that while it might hurts its cubs dearly, they still have each other to get through it. Their bond, or love, how humans like to call it, is just that deep.


	9. Blushes

There are certain things that Keith loves about Lance.

His cooking, for example. Lance learned how to cook from his mother and his abuela, and since he was the youngest he always had to help out with cooking while his siblings where doing something else elsewhere. Lance had told him that he didn‘t really mind staying with his mother to cook, because his mum always made it to a fun activity, and he learned a bunch of great things while helping out.

Keith also likes Lance‘s knowledge of beauty products. Other people would think of Lance as vain with how much time and energy he spends on his face and hair, but by now Keith knows that those things are Lance‘s stress relief, the only thing that makes him feel calm and in control when things go south sometimes. Keith also profits from Lance‘s knowledge as well. His skin has never felt better, his hair was never as soft as it is now, and it‘s overall just fun to pamper himself together with his boyfriend.

The thing Keith loves most about Lance is Lance himself though. His beautiful curls and cute freckles, his bright smiles and heartwarming laughs, his caring personality and his competitiveness when it comes to winning against Keith. It‘s nice to know that Lance can keep up with Keith, with his stubbornness and hot-headedness and everything else that even Keith has sometimes trouble to match up to.

And, last but not least, Lance blushing. He always bites his lip first, averts his eyes because he can’t stand any eye-contact in that moment. Keith loves the way Lance’s cheeks heat up, followed by his neck, the upper part of his chest and finally the tips of his ears. How Lance always tries to hide his reddening face behind his face or by pressing into Keith‘s neck and shoulders.

Keith usually has to pull Lance‘s hands out of the way when he wants to see the effect of his smooth words or re-directed pick-up lines. Though he never pushes Lance from himself, enjoying the feeling of Lance‘s hot skin on his, and when Lance wraps his hands around Keith‘s waist to hold on, Keith is gone.

Yeah, the blushes are the best.


	10. Jackets

Lance is used to living in hot places. He spent the first few years of his life in California before his family moved to Florida. He also spent most of his holidays with his grandparents and extended family in Cuba. They have a big house right next to the ocean with their own private beach, so it was only logical to save money on trips to Hawaii or other nice places and go to their own little paradise instead.

Living in hot places has many perks. You don‘t have to spend so much money on clothes, since you only wear shorts and t-shirts all day and most of the year anyway. Your skin is always nice and brown, and you can always soak up the sun, which makes Lance feel happy and content.

When Lance moved to New York for college, he had to get used to a lot of things, but mostly the change of temperature. The summer in the big city is hot as well, but the first winter caught Lance off guard, since he didn‘t even own a proper winter jacket back then. His friends had to take him shopping, and he spend most of his monthly check for long pants, thick sweaters, a scarf, gloves, a beanie and, of course, a jacket.

Lance was glad when winter was finally over, and he could stow the thick clothes back into his wardrobe for the next year around. He never bothered to buy some jacket for spring and autumn, and with all the sweaters he owned now, it was never a problem for him, even if he had to freeze for a few minutes while walking outside. Feeling a little bit cold was still better than moving around with that big jacket.

His boyfriend though thinks differently.

Keith and Lance met, and got quickly together, in the beginning of summer. Since it was warm outside, Keith has never known Lance‘s opinion about jackets until autumn came around, and with it the chillier temperatures.

„Where‘s your jacket?“ Keith is asking now, phone in his hand forgotten at the sight of Lance in his sweater.

„I don‘t have one,“ Lance answers with a shrug, not really thinking too much about it until he sees Keith gape at him with raised eyebrows.

„You don‘t have one…“ he repeats unbelieving.

Lance pushes his hands into the pockets of his pants, suddenly feeling awkward with how Keith is staring at him. It never really bothered Lance when his friends had the same reaction, but with Keith it‘s something else. It‘s always feels different when it comes to Keith.

„Yeah…“ Lance says carefully, not knowing if Keith is baffled or angry at him. He definitely looks angry, but with Keith you never know.

Keith checks his phone, a frown forming on his face when he looks back at Lance. He takes a step closer and pulls of his jacket before Lance realizes what he‘s trying to do. Only when the jacket lands on his shoulders, his brain finally catches up.

„We don‘t have time to get to my place and get another jacket, so you have to take mine,“ Keith says matter-of-factly before taking Lance‘s hand from his jeans pocket and dragging him along towards the cinema.

„Wha-„ Lance starts, feeling his cheeks heat up while he‘s searching for the right words. He can‘t just take Keith‘s jacket, especially since Keith is the one feeling cold now.

Keith turns towards him and entangles their fingers. He gives Lance a once over, and a proud little smile appears on his lips. „You look good,“ he says lowly, so that the people around them can‘t hear.

Lance‘s blush explodes and his mind stops working at all. He realizes that Keith won‘t take his jacket back until he‘s sure that Lance is definitely not feeling cold, and that will most probably only happen when he‘s back home. Keith shows that he‘s caring about Lance with little things like that, after all.

They get inside the cinema with their pre-paid tickets, buy some snacks and get to their seats. The jacket is still around Lance‘s shoulders as they snuggle into the couple seat in the last row, and he can‘t help but feel happy about wearing it. It‘s Keith‘s jacket after all, and wearing something that belongs to his boyfriend fills him with a sense of pleasure he never felt before.

Lance can see himself wearing more jackets in the future, and he doesn‘t really mind, as long as they are from Keith.


	11. Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of my Angst fic! [ Here is Part One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42485123)

Keith knows that his memories will feel bittersweet until the day he dies. That doesn‘t stop him from remembering though, because those memories are more often than not the only thing that gets him through the day.

They come often, those memories, drifting through his head like a tiny fish in the big waves of the ocean before they materialize to something bigger, something with deep emotions and overwhelming feelings.

Sometimes they start with a neutral thought, like how beautiful the weather is today, or how a flower would look good in the garden he always liked to spend some time in. Most of the time they start sweet though, like candy on his tongue. Those memories consist of everything regarding Lance; his favorite perfume, the smell of his cooking in the morning, or the tea he made in the evening. The velvety feeling of his short curls between Keith‘s fingers, and layer of sweat on his skin in hot summer nights.

The memories end all the same, with the bitter taste of the present being shoved down his throat. Keith can‘t fight the bitterness, can‘t go back in time and change the past so those memories stay just as sweet as they should be.

He can do nothing but accept the here and now.

It took him quite a while to get to this point. Lance would probably be proud of him, since he wouldn‘t want Keith to being stuck in the past as well. At least that‘s what Shiro tells him all the time. Keith knows that he is right though, and he made an effort to take his stubbornness and remaining will to live and use it to safe other people from the same fate.

It‘s been almost a year now since the Galra started the war. Keith and Shiro are still stationed at the boarders, fighting whenever they need to fight, rebuild wherever they have to rebuild, and help whoever needs help. Mostly civilians that lost their home or families to the Galra, or soldiers and armed forces that got hurt in previous fights.

The Altean army can‘t be everywhere at once, the boarders and the enemy too big to keep everyone safe. They have to split up in smaller groups or concentrate on vital military positions to make sure that they don‘t loose any more land and people to the enemy.

Days are long, but nights are longer, and with nothing to do but train and patrol in between fights, Keith gets lost to his memories with increasing frequency. When he looks at the stars for example, Keith remembers the first night he really got to know Lance.

One of Lance‘s brothers had asked Keith to help out rebuilding a few houses after a fire. Rebels had attacked the village days prior, and after Keith and his fellow soldiers got rid of them, they stayed to help the townspeople with everything they needed.

Lance and him didn‘t get along at first, always fighting over the smallest things and making a competition out of the stupidest tasks. It was childish, and so refreshing to be treated like a normal person, not the leader of his corps or the little brother of the great commander Shirogane.

After a long day of rebuilding, Keith went with Lance‘s family to eat some dinner. They spend half of the evening talking and laughing around a big table full of people, and the rest of it alone on the roof of a boat shed, pointing out different constellations. Keith taught Lance what he knew from astronomy classes in the capital, and Lance taught Keith everything he learned from his father, who was the captain of a trade ship.

They had talked through half of the night, sharing stories about training and work and their siblings, and when the night passed on and a salty breeze picked up, Lance shuffled closer to Keith to huddle into the warmth of the shared blanket, the searing heat of his body sending shivers down Keith‘s spine, and making his heart skip a few beats.

Lance looked at him with a dimpled smile, and the sky and the stars reflected in his beautiful eyes, enchanting Keith to do things he never paid too much mind before, like reaching out and intertwining their fingers, slowly leaning in and-

„Lieutenant Kogane!“

Keith jerks his head to his side, where a young soldier is breathing heavily, holding his waist as he takes a few steps closer. From the bag around his chest and the dagger on his left side, Keith can see that he‘s a messenger from another corps.

Keith moves from his place near the fenced training pitch, meeting the messenger halfway. „What is it?“

„I have a message for you and Captain Shirogane,“ the guy pants, holding out a letter, sealed with the sign of a captain who is stationed in the south, near where the war started.

„Thank you, I‘ll bring it to him,“ Keith says while taking the letter. „Make sure to get some rest.“

He watches the messenger salute and turn towards one of the tents for visitors. Keith however seeks out Shiro‘s private tent behind the training pitch. He should be sleeping right now, since his duties have kept him up all night long.

 _Should_ , Keith things to himself, knowing full well that he has the same nightmares as Keith has, with his husband working as a doctor at the other end of the country, in a territory that is constantly clashing with the Galran army. But Adam is still alive, so Shiro can still worry about him, whereas Lance…

Keith makes his presence known from outside of Shiro‘s tent, calling out for his brother until the front curtain flips open. Shiro is standing in the entrance, his hair ruffled and the bags under his eyes almost as black as his hair, but he‘s holding a map of the surrounding area in his hand, which implies that he has indeed not slept at all.

„What‘s wrong?“ Shiro asks worriedly, since Keith doesn‘t really visit him unless it‘s for something important or after one of his nightmares where he doesn‘t want to be alone.

Keith holds up the letter, and gives it to Shiro as he passes him in the entry. Once inside the small tent he takes his usual spot next to Shiro‘s table, where a little stool has been placed for him. Shiro takes a seat next to Keith and opens the letter with raised eyebrows.

Keith doesn‘t really know much about the Captain stationed in the south, only that his emblem pictures the same symbol as the one on Keith‘s inherited dagger, a sign that his mother used to work close with him.

„It‘s from Kolivan,“ Shiro murmurs halfway through the letter. „He requests back up from us.“

„Huh.“ Keith raises an eyebrow. It‘s not uncommon for soldiers to be sent away from their bases to help out other troops along the borders, but Kolivan and his men and women never asked for help before. „They must be in trouble.“

„Not really.“ Shiro looks up, his eyes suddenly full of caution. He bites his lip, a bad habit from the past that welled back up with his nightmares, and a sign that he doesn‘t like whatever he is about to say. „He‘s asking for you and your troop.“

Keith is taken aback. Of all things that could be written in this letter, he didn‘t expect that. „Why?“

„He says that he needs your knowledge of the area, since you lived there before the war broke out.“

Keith can feel his heart stop in his chest. His breath gets caught in his throat, eyes wide staring at his brother in shock. „He is in…“

„Not yet, but he‘s getting closer.“ Shiro nods, carefully putting the letter on the table and leaning back in his seat. He is watching Keith for a while before speaking up. „Keith, you don‘t have to go if it‘s too much. It was your home after all, and-“

Keith interrupts him with a wave of his hand. „It‘s not my home anymore. Not without…“ He bites his tongue before he can say too much. It‘s still hard to speak Lance‘s name out loud. Those five simple letter make his heart ache and his eye sting with unshed tears.

Keith takes a deep breath and swallows the sudden clump in his throat. He takes a moment to think about Captain Kolivan‘s request, but even with Shiro‘s approval in his back, Keith could never forgive himself for refusing his help because he‘s feeling sad for himself.

„I will go,“ he answers with conviction, the confidence he‘s trying to radiate bouncing off Shiro‘s pointed look. Keith can see that Shiro wants to talk more about that topic, maybe even try to persuade him into staying here, but both of them know that Keith won‘t budge.

With a sigh, Shiro readies an empty sheet of paper as well as some ink and a pen. „Get your troop ready then, you‘ll be leaving this afternoon.“

With a nod Keith gets up, the stool scraping over the floor as he rightens his uniform. He‘s halfway through the tent when Shiro stops him one last time.

„Keith,“ he calls while getting up as well, closing the distance between them to embrace him in a strong hug. „Be careful,“ Shiro murmurs, his voice wobbling when Keith wraps his arms around Shiro‘s back as well.

„I will,“ Keith promises, feeling his eyes sting again, and doing nothing as a single tear manages to roll over his cheek.

He knows that Shiro will have only more nightmares with him leaving, but the resolution in his heart doesn‘t falter. Captain Kolivan is approaching the coast after all, trying to free the last few standing towns that used to surround Keith‘s home, the place where he met and fell in love with Lance.

Like hell he won‘t be there to help.

With quick steps he walks across the base to gather his men and women, preparing himself for the long travel halfway across the country. In the distance he can see clouds forming to a storm. A strong north wind picks up as they leave the camp, guiding them towards the coast. Keith can only hope that nature is on his side.


	12. Heartbeat

Whenever Keith feels like loosing control, Lance is there to comfort him. Life can be hard sometimes, with exams and deadlines, work and friends, trying to squeeze a little bit of sleep in between all his responsibilities as a somewhat young adult.

Keith is not as attuned to his feelings as Lance is, so getting overwhelmed by his emotions or other stuff is a common thing for him. He kind of got used to dealing with that problem on top of all his other problems, and even if his coping mechanisms are not as healthy as they could be, they work for him.

Although Lance has a different opinion on this, he let Keith be until they got much, much closer. He told Keith that he doesn‘t want to pry, or to tell Keith how to live his life, which both of them know never works out anyway. So he stayed quiet and put until the day Keith finally let him in.

It was in the middle of three important exams, two of them about Keith‘s least favorite topics on top of that. He had barely slept in the past few days, frantically trying to squeeze one study session after another in the little time he had between classes and work. It wasn‘t like him to feel so worried about the upcoming exams, but he felt too uneasy about them to even care.

Lance cared though.

He notices Keith‘s stress early on and tried to support him with little things, like bringing him food and healthy snacks between classes, going on late night coffee runs or helping him learn for some classes. He didn‘t have much going on besides a few little exams, since most of his classes have big projects at the end of the year or smaller exams scattered throughout the semester, so he could spare some time to spend with Keith.

When Lance realized just how far Keith is willing to push himself, he finally put and end, or at least a pause, to Keith‘s self-destructing mannerism. It took Lance quite some convincing, some fighting and even a few guilt-trips to finally get his way, but boy was Keith glad that he did it.

Even though he still felt nervous about the exams, and quite stressed about everything else in his life, those few minutes huddled in Lance‘s arms, with his warmth cocooning Keith in the comfiest manner and his strong, steady heartbeat under Keith‘s ear were probably the only thing that kept him sane.

Since then Keith uses every single opportunity to cuddle into Lance‘s chest whenever he doesn‘t feel so well. There is literally nothing better than the sound of Lance‘s heartbeat and the deep breaths, sometimes interrupted by little chuckles, flowing like music into Keith‘s head.

Whenever Keith lays on Lance‘s chest, Lance starts playing with his hair, curling the long strands around his finger and messaging Keith‘s scalp gently. It‘s literally the best feeling in the world, getting pampered by Lance with all his love and affection he is willing to spare for Keith.

Which is quite a lot.

The best thing about those cuddles is still Lance’s heartbeat though. It‘s his favorite sound, so strong and comforting, and always able to lull him to sleep. With the steady rhythm in his ear and under his hands, Keith is able to forget the rest of the world for a little while.


	13. Training

Lance counts himself as a very lucky person.

He has a great family and accepting parents, got a place at the best space school on Earth, got selected by a sentient alien spaceship to be a Paladin of Voltron, and somehow managed not die yet.

And, on top of everything, his long-time crush-slash-enemy reciprocates his feelings and is more than willing to be his boyfriend. It‘s only natural that Lance counts himself as very, very lucky. But what life is throwing at him right now makes him reconsider a few things.

Because being able to openly ogle his boyfriend while he trains isn‘t just luck anymore, it‘s the universe making up for something bad that must have happened in his past lives. It‘s heaven and hell at the same time, heaven for obvious reasons, and hell for even more obvious reasons in his pants.

The way Keith‘s muscle work under his black suit whenever he swings his sword, the way he is almost able to predict every single of Shiro‘s steps, the crystal-clear focus in his eyes while taking in his opponent, and most importantly that high ponytail he is sporting.

By the lions, is that hot. Lance can do nothing but stare at Keith, every coherent thought leaving his body to leave his mind completely blank. He faintly hears Pidge tell him to pick up his jaw from the floor, but with that divine picture in front of him, he can‘t even pretend to pay any attention to them.

It‘s when Shiro gets an advantage and floors Keith for the third time that Lance gets jerked out of his daze. He clears his throat and hopes that there is no spit on his chin, because that on top of the semi in his underwear would be way too embarrassing for his liking.

„That was pretty good,“ Shiro says after helping Keith up from the floor.

Keith rubs his back with a frown directed at his sparing partner, his eyes utterly unimpressed at Shiro‘s praise. „Yeah, sure,“ he answers grumpily, shuffling back to the empty place next to Lance before Shiro can say anything else.

After hundreds of sparring sessions, Keith knows that his hotheadedness and temperament are getting the best of him sometimes, and that his instincts, amazing and quick as they are, won‘t be able to win him every fight, especially if it comes to well-experienced fighters, such as Shiro.

It doesn‘t stop him from trying though.

With a sigh Keith slides down the wall to sit next to Lance. He accepts the water pouch Lance is holding out without a word, only thanking him when he had a few sips. What comes next is totally unexpected and quite new between them, that‘s why it makes Lance‘s stomach flutter even stronger when Keith rests his head on Lance‘s shoulder and leans into his side.

The rest of the team ignores them. Shiro is dragging Pidge through a quick fight, pointing out the flaws in their stance whenever possible. Pidge gets close to him a few times, but Shiro is still years ahead of them, so he overpowers them quickly and sends them tumbling to the floor after a quick attack to their right.

From the corner of his eye, Lance can see Keith still pouting. With a chuckle he takes Keith‘s hand and intertwines their fingers in his lap. He squeezes Keith‘s hand gently and leans his head down to rest on Keith‘s.

„Don‘t think too much about it, mullet,“ Lance murmurs so Hunk won‘t hear them.

Keith sighs again and closes his eyes. It looks like he is thinking even more now, so Lance nudges his side to make Keith look at him. Keith does open his eyes, but the frown is still there, only redirected at Lance now.

„Dude,“ Lance says, trying to keep his voice light even though the frown is irritating him. It‘s not really directed at him, but it takes a while for Lance‘s brain to catch up on that and find the right words. „Not even Allura can beat Shiro, and she is super strong and grew up training every day. Don‘t be mad at yourself for not winning every sparring match.“

Keith puckers his lips, which looks adorable, even though his brows are still furrowed and his eyes are practically screaming out his frustration. „It‘s just…“ he starts, stopping himself when he can‘t find the right thing to say.

He doesn‘t have too, though. After years watching every single one of Keith‘s steps, Lance has gotten pretty good at reading him.

„It frustrates you,“ Lance finishes for him, his voice as gentle as possible, „that you always get stuck on the same things during training.“

Keith nods, another unhappy sigh leaving his lips while his inner turmoil keeps on boiling. Keith prefers not to talk about stuff like this, prefers to find solutions without having to think about the problem, which brings him into situations he has trouble getting out of again.

Thankfully, he has Lance by his side now, who loves to mull about things and loves even more to help his boyfriend out.

„We can train together, if you want to,“ Lance offers, hoping to lift Keith‘s mood a little bit like that.

And he does, at least Keith is laughing, quiet puffs against his neck which send shivers down his spine. Keith rests his head on Lance‘s shoulder again, his smile smushed by pressing his cheeks into Lance‘s armor.

„I think that would benefit you more than me,“ he teases, referring to their late-night training session a few days ago.

It wasn‘t as much training as it was heavily making out on the floor, because Keith just had to show up only wearing his under-suit, which basically shows everything of his sculpted body and his… ahem. It took about two seconds and Keith was throwing Lance onto the mat, leaving him even more breathless than the lack his armor did. The only natural thing to do was to drag Keith down with him and kiss him until they were equally out of breath.

„I‘ll make sure to concentrate on actually training this time.“ Lance can feel the blush on his face, and just hopes for Hunk that he‘s concentrating on how Pidge gets thrown over Shiro‘s shoulder for the sixth time instead of their talk.

He knows without looking that Keith is grinning like a fool at that memory, because he always does when he gets to tease Lance with things like this. Keith pulls their connected hands on his lap and starts playing with Lance fingers now, maybe because he‘s bored, maybe because he likes the feeling of their intertwined hands just as much as Lance does.

„Okay,“ Keith answers after a while, his voice soft as he bumps their outstretched feet together and sigh again. „Thanks.“

„Always,“ Lance answers just as soft, and seals the promise with a kiss against Keith‘s temple.


	14. Distance

Lance has been keeping his distance, and Keith knows that it‘s his fault. He fucked up, did the one thing he knows Lance would never forgive and didn‘t even apologize properly after doing it.

He did try a few hours later, but it was already too late. Lance was so angry with him that Keith didn‘t even try sleeping in their bed, opting for the guest room as long as Lance was fuming away. Which was a good decision, because Lance was still angry when Keith tried to bribe him with breakfast and a homemade strawberry milkshake the next morning.

You‘d think that Lance would be at least a little bit less angry when lunchtime came around, but the pack of lactase pills right next to the spaghetti alla carbonara on the table tell a different story. Lance knows just how much Keith hates taking those pills, so he usually cooks with lactose-free milk when they eat together.

It‘s when he swallowed those damn pills and eaten two portions of Lance‘s heavenly cooking that Keith has enough of the radio silence between them. After rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dish washer, Keith seeks Lance out in their living room.

„Lance?“ he tries carefully, already expecting to get either ignored or send away. When Lance doesn‘t acknowledge his existence and continues reading his magazine instead, Keith walks towards their big sofa and sits down next to Lance.

„Babe,“ he tries again, „I‘m so sorry.“

„Yeah, I bet you are,“ Lance huffs, sending Keith a mean look before he gets back to the magazine in his hands. „But that won‘t change what you did.“

 _Of course it won‘t_ , Keith thinks to himself. After two years of living together, he should know how long Lance can hold a grudge, especially if it‘s about the things he loves. „Lance, please. Let me make it up to you.“

Keith reaches out to take Lance‘s hand, but Lance quickly snatches it away before Keith can get too close. Keith pulls at the hem of his sweater instead, the same thing Lance‘s nephew does whenever he fucked up and wants to say sorry. Keith would try out the puppy eyes as well if Lance would only look at him.

„Forget it mullet,“ Lance says, eyes still zeroed on the magazine and the article about interior design he is probably not really reading. He‘s been stuck on the same page since Keith got here after all, and the page holds little to no text. „I waited the whole fucking day for it, and then you just go ahead and eat it!“

Ugh, knowing that makes it even worse. Lance is a stress-eater. Whenever life gets too much, or when he‘s feeling really really down, he binges on his favorite chocolate, or his favorite ice cream, or, when it‘s a disastrously bad day, like yesterday, he prepares his favorite pizza which is gets only sold like one or two months every year.

„I didn‘t know it was the last one, babe!“ Keith tries to explain again, since he told Lance the same thing about three times the night before. „I wouldn‘t have eaten your pizza if I had known. I thought you had more in the freezer.“

The freezer usually holds about thirty packs of Lance‘s favorite pizza. Keith thought that at least half of it was still left, hidden behind frozen veggies and all the stuff Lance‘s mum packs for them whenever they visit. Keith really didn‘t know that he took the last pizza until Lance came home, pent up rage from his waiter-job in a diner practically dripping from him and exploding when he found the empty package of his pizza on the kitchen counter.

„You could have checked, Keith,“ Lance accuses now, his voice a bit whiny, probably from the memory of his pizza. He frowns at his magazine before he finally looks up, betrayal and anger in his eyes as if Keith had cheated on him with another guy, not eaten his pizza. „It wasn‘t even lactose free.“

Keith grimaces at him, the guilt in his chest aching like the cheese did in his stomach during the night. „I know, I could hardly sleep because of it.“ Again, Keith hates those pills. And he simply forgot them without Lance there to remind him.

„Well, good! You deserve it,“ Lance murmurs, though he doesn‘t sound as upset anymore. He doesn‘t like knowing his boyfriend was in pain.

„I‘m really sorry,“ Keith sighs again. He tries to grab Lance‘s hand again, smiles when Lance lets Keith touch him this time. He squeezes Lance‘s hand gently and shuffles closer, inch by inch until his chest is flush with Lance‘s side. After being almost certain that Lance won‘t throw him off again, Keith rests his chin on Lance‘s shoulder and puts on the pouty voice Lance likes to use on him all the time. „I‘ll buy as much pizza as you want when they are in stock again.“

Lance turns his head halfway around, letting Keith nudge his cheek with his nose until both of them are smiling. „As much as I want?“ he asks, not able to hide the clear interest in that promise.

„As much as you want,“ Keith confirms, and when he gets a kiss on the tip of his nose, he knows that he is forgiven.


	15. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of my Avian fic. [ Here is Part One!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42485147)

Lance usually liked storms. When he was in his nest, cuddling with his siblings or his niece and nephew, with a warm drink in his hand and various blankets around him, there was nothing better than to hear the rain patter on the leaves and the ceiling of his home, and to watch the endless stream of water rinse down the colony.

Sometimes Keith would come over and they would spend hours just chatting or playing silly games from their childhood. With all his blankets Lance would feel warm enough, but it never stopped Keith from wrapping his fluffy wings around him and cocooning him in even more warmth.

So, Lance usually liked storms if he could do all those things above.

Now though, being stuck in a cave, soggy from the heavy rain and tired from the long flight and the day of work before he and Keith went out, his opinion about storms is slowly changing for the worse. Lance is just thankful that his wings are not as soaked as his clothes, so he can press them close to his body and keep himself as warm as possible.

Lance can hear footsteps behind him, and soon Keith pops up from around the corner of the cave. He went in to check for any danger, or at least something that could help them in this situation, but the frown on his face tells Lance that the search hasn‘t been successful.

„Nothing?“ Lance asks nevertheless, just to fill the silence between the cold stonewalls.

Keith shakes his head, the frown deepening as he watches Lance shiver in his thin clothes. Keith‘s clothes are wet as well, and his long hair is dripping on his wings and the floor where he stands.

„I found some dry wood, so we can try to make a fire,“ Keith suggests while stepping closer. His wing is just as warm as Lance‘s, but it feels so much hotter when he puts it around Lance‘s shoulders and back. „Do you want to wait here?“

„N-no.“ It‘s a bit hard to talk with the shivers running through his body, even though Keith is heating him up as well. „I‘ll help you,“ Lance insists, knowing that a bit of movement will keep his body from going too stiff.

Keith takes Lance‘s hand in his own and guides them towards the end of the cave where dirt, dust and rotten leaves have been blown in by the wind. Stuck in between are a few twigs and branches which they collect quickly, as well as some of the leaves as tinder. With the help of Keith‘s firestones the little bonfire starts burning quickly, heating up the small cave as well as Lance‘s body.

Lance shuffles as close as possible to the fire, mindful that his wings don‘t get too close. Thanks to his soaked clothes he is still shivering though. He doesn‘t wear as much leather as Keith does, only a light tunic and cotton pants that covers half of his calf. He didn‘t plan to stay out long after all, and didn‘t anticipate the storm either.

Keith takes a seat right next to Lance, shuffling and close as possible until he‘s flush with Lance‘s side. Keith covers almost all of Lance‘s body with his own wing again, while his other wing stays loosely around his lap.

„A-are you not c-cold?“ Lance asks with concern. He doesn‘t want to steal all of Keith‘s heat when he needs it himself.

Keith shakes his head though, pulling him closer with his wing and wrapping an arm around Lance‘s waist. „No, I‘m fine. My clothes don‘t soak up as much as yours do.“

After a second, Keith frowns again, looking at Lance‘s tunic before letting their eyes meet. „You should take your tunic off,“ he says matter-of-factly, realizing a second to late of what his words could imply.

„W-what?“ Lance asks, hoping that the sudden heat in his cheeks is hidden by the dim light of the fire and his dark skin tone.

Keith‘s skin does betray him quickly, beaming red when he realizes what he just said. „No, I mean-“ he stutters, his hand going to his face to cover his mouth and cheeks. „Your clothes are making you feel even colder. You should take them off and put them back on when they are dry.“

Of course Lance realizes that Keith is right, but undressing right beside him, even if it‘s just his top, still makes him feel a little bit embarrassed. He shouldn‘t feel that way at all, since they‘ve been inseparable since birth and have seen each other with much less clothing, but this was back when they were kids. Now, grown up and all, Lance can‘t help but blush at the idea of Keith seeing him like this.

Which doesn‘t really help him with his clothing problem. Lance takes a deep breath to steel himself before shuffling out of his little cocoon of wings, and prying the wet tunic off his body in a swift move. With a squelch it falls into Keith‘s hand, who wrings it out before leaving it on a nearby stone to dry.

Lance quickly huddles back into his wings, and with Keith‘s additional body heat he finally stops shivering. Lance can‘t help himself but rest his head on Keith‘s shoulder. With the cold gone, he can feel the exhaustion of today wash over his body.

„I‘m sorry,“ Keith murmurs after a while, his sullen voice jerking Lance awake again.

Lance looks up to see Keith frowning at the fire. His wings are still tight around Lance, their weight another reminder of their closeness, just like his arm around Lance‘s naked waist.

„Why?“ Lance asks carefully, because he can‘t think of a single thing Keith has to be sorry for.

„Because I got you stuck in a cold cave, only because I wanted to show you that stupid clearing.“

„It‘s not your fault that it started raining, Keith,“ Lance murmurs while snuggling back into Keith‘s side. The afternoon spend together was beautiful after all, and Lance doesn‘t want Keith to think anything bad about it.

„Besides, I really liked the clearing. I want to go there again,“ Lance adds after a second, a smile playing on his lips at the memory of the clearing.

Keith turns his head around, his nose brushing a few of Lance‘s wet curls from his forehead. Lance can hear the relief in his voice when he asks, „Do you?“

„Yeah.“ Lance nods, his hand searching for Keith‘s under the layers of feathers around them. When he finds them, he intertwines their fingers and completely relishes in the warmth of Keith‘s body. „Would you take me?“

Keith chuckles, his lips caressing Lance‘s temple. „Of course.“


	16. Rivalry

The rivalry Lance set up between himself and Keith after their very rough start at the Garrison continued far into their Paladin days, until the day Shiro vanished. Only with the threat of death on their shoulders and Keith‘s mental health falling into a deep hole, Lance was willing to leave that chapter behind him and support Keith with all he got.

Which was much more than Keith or the rest of the team would have ever expected, but exactly what they needed in those dire times.

Though a little bit of rivalry never left, which Keith is grateful for. How else would he be able to goad Lance into late night training sessions, or crazy flight drills that the rest of the Paladins are not willing to try out. Lance is the only one wanting to keep up with Keith, his eyes sparkling whenever Keith throws a challenge at him and the cocky part of his brain speaking up before he can think about it.

Keith is still the better fighter, the better pilot, even with Lance trying his very best to catch up to him. But Lance has other specialities, things that he exceeds in, like his ability to hit a target from any distance, moving or not, even under the worst conditions like being sucked into space.

Or how he is able to read other people and wrap everyone around his finger. If his flirting is not working, he tries to engage people with stories from their battles or his family, especially during diplomatic meetings where most of the Paladins, excluding Allura, don‘t know what to do or say.

Even though Lance is the pilot of the Red Lion now, he will always be the heart of Voltron, the glue that sticks all of them together and makes sure that no one gets left behind between the battlefield and the loneliness of space.

Keith guesses that the rivalry did the same for him, because thanks to that Keith never felt left out or alone, even in his worst moments after Shiro’s second disappearance and the catastrophic times of trying to lead the team with his hot-headedness and stubbornness.

And even though Keith always expresses his annoyance over Lance constant challenges, he still accepts them, feeling excited to receive more of Lance‘s attention even if it‘s just about who can reach the pool first, or eat more than the other.

Keith wonders when he started to really enjoy the stupid things Lance comes up with. He knows that he definitely didn‘t like them in the beginning of their journey, because he thought that Lance hated him, which he kind of did. But now they are much closer, content with their positions and their strong friendship, even if their constant bickering suggest something else.

It doesn‘t matter if other people think that he and Lance don‘t get along, as long as Keith can be sure that Lance will always have his back, and likes those challenges just as much as Keith does.

 Everything else, especially this tingling in his stomach whenever Lance wins a fight and looks at him with proud eyes and a cocky smirk, is a problem for future Keith.


	17. Cozy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Three of my Avian fic!  
> [ Here is Part One!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42485147)  
> [ Here is Part Two!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603475)

Lance‘s nest is one of his favorite places in the colony. Granted he never really left his colony, but he is pretty sure that there is nothing cozier than his nest in one of the upper parts of the big, hollowed out tree where his parents life in. Keith told him so, after all, and he does leave the colony for hunts or just travels to other colonies all the time.

Lance‘s nest, the coziest place in the village, is usually occupied by him or his nephew and niece whenever they visit. Lance‘s siblings have their own nest, which they prefer to sleep in, but they also like to spend time in Lance‘s nest whenever possible. Lance‘s nest is the coziest, after all.

He made an effort to make it as cozy as possible, because Lance likes to sleep feeling like he‘s flying through soft clouds in a warm summer day. His nest is full of soft blankets and pillows, gifts from his family, friends and Keith. Most things are actually from Keith, three of the six blankets and every pillow. Keith just knows which colors or patterns Lance likes best, and always makes sure to choose the softest ones.

It‘s beneficial for Keith as well, to bring Lance so many soft blankets and pillows, since he spends a lot of his free time in Lance‘s nest. Whenever there is a storm brewing outside, or during late nights where they both can‘t sleep but can‘t be bothered to go out and watch the stars, they usually just cuddle into Lance‘s nest, talking until one of them falls asleep.

They‘ve done it since they were small kids, Keith always sneaking out from his parents‘ tree, jumping over the branches and floating straight to Lance‘s window, which is always open for Keith. Even now he hardly ever uses the main entrance a few branches down, and only when Lance‘s parents invited him over, not when he‘s visiting Lance directly.

Lately, some things have changed though. Keith is still visiting all the time, snuggling into Lance‘s nest like it‘s his own and spreading his wings out for Lance to either groom him, which he loves doing, or just to wrap them loosely around Lance‘s back and lap.

Keith has always done that, engulfing Lance in his big, fluffy wings, making sure that he is safe and warm and even more cozy than with all his blankets. But now, he does it differently. It‘s hard to explain, especially since Lance has never experienced this before, but Keith demeanor has changed a lot lately.

Keith is more open with Lance, and always touching him wherever they are in the privacy of Lance‘s nest or outside with the other people of their colony. There is always a wing wrapped around Lance‘s shoulder, or a hand on the small of his back, or their shoulders and hands brushing together.

Another thing that Lance noticed are the little gifts Keith started giving him some time ago. Whenever he returns from a trip or hunt, he presents Lance with beautiful trinkets or exotic plants, or the soft blankets Lance loves so much. Even food and clothes has been among those gifts, making Lance feel bad that Keith is using so much of the goods he spent a lot of time gathering just to get something that Lance would like.

Lance even tried to make him stop by refusing to accept the things Keith brought one time, but the heartbroken look in his eyes made him reconsider quickly. He‘d rather live with his bad conscience than to see Keith sulk like this again.

Though, he tries to at least return the favors by bringing Keith food for his hunts and travels, by fixing the clothes he ripped during his flights and to make sure that his nest is always clean and inviting for Keith to come and rest in it. Grooming Keith‘s wings is probably even more relaxing for Lance than it is for Keith, since he likes fixing the wayward feathers and running his fingers through the soft down, so Lance doesn’t count that as a favor.

Overall, Lance starts to like the change between them. He gets to spend more time with Keith like this after all, and all the presents are a huge plus as well, since they are well thought out and come from the heart.

His siblings might tease Lance a lot for all the things he gets, and his parents always look at him with knowing eyes, which Lance really can‘t make any sense of, but he doesn‘t really care as long as he has his cozy nest and Keith cuddled in it.


	18. Dance

Soft music sound through the living room, the loudspeakers the only thing installed in their new home. Every room is stuffed with unpacked boxes and bag full of clothing, with their bedsheets spread over their sofa and armchairs, since their bed is still in the moving truck outside.

All that doesn‘t matter though, because the soft music is everything Lance is currently concentrating on. That, and the warmth of Keith‘s body pressed against his chest as well as his hands entangled with Lance‘s. They are swaying in the beat of a love song, the lyrics fitting perfectly to the emotions Lance is feeling right now.

Happiness, excitement, and deep, deep love.

Keith is resting his head on Lance‘s shoulder, the angle a bit awkward with the height he put on during college, but neither of them mind. They keep dancing through the living room, not caring about anything but the first quiet moment together in their first own house.

The list off the things they still have to do is in the far back of Lance‘s mind. Unloading the truck and driving it back to the rental place, unpacking all the boxes with their combined stuff, grocery shopping to fill up the fridge and pantry, and preparing the bed so they don‘t have to sleep on the floor. Everything forgotten while Keith lifts his head from Lance‘s shoulder to look into his eyes instead, his gaze full of love and satisfaction.

Keith must be able to see the emotion in Lance as well, because he leans forward and connects their lips in the most loving way. It‘s only a peck at first, but he dives right back in when Lance keeps his eyes closed as a plea for more.

They dance and kiss and forget the world around them while one love song moves to another until the playlist starts to repeat itself. They might get in trouble later on, they might have to sleep on the floor and order take out for dinner, but Lance prefers to stay in Keith‘s arms until nightfall comes around, dancing until the moonlight shines through the windows to illuminate their love in a silver light.

And they keep on dancing.


	19. Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Three of my Mer fic!  
> [Here is Part One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42484292) and [here is Part Two!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603301)

The guppies love bubbles, so Lance always makes an effort to create as many as possible with his big tail fin when they are playing catch. Whenever he does it, the tiniest guppies who can not talk yet giggle in delight, and the bigger guppies translate those laughs into words, chanting „more, more“ until Lance relents.

He is probably one of the most easy-going caretakers of the colony, always willing to play with the kids and hardly ever chiding them. Well, he doesn‘t really need to chide them at all, since most of the kids are either well behaved thanks to their parents, or like Lance enough to try and be a good guppy whenever Lance is the one taking care of them.

Lance is glad that he found the perfect role for him in the colony early on. Many mer have to try out various of roles before they find the one that fits them best. Keith, for example, tried building caves before moving on to more creative jobs, and even trying to take care of the guppies for a few moon cycles until his big brother invited him to a hunt, where he exceeded with ease and happiness that Lance has hardly ever seen on him.

Lance though knew exactly that he wanted to be a caretaker since his brother had two guppies years ago, and Lance visited them to play and look after them before they could even swim by themselves.

He always loved working with children, loved seeing their smiles and hearing their laughs, and never minded when they cried or threw a fit. He was born as a caretaker, just like Keith was born as a hunter, and since he couldn‘t have offspring on his own with his mate, because they were both born males, it made him even happier to be able to take care of all the guppies of the colony.

Keith and him have talked about having children before, since it‘s a topic every mer should talk about with his mate at least once, even if they can‘t reproduce. Back then, Keith had told him that he wouldn‘t mind having a guppy on their own, even though it was impossible to get one naturally, and since the colony was safe, healthy and thriving, there were no orphan guppies they could adopt.

Which is a great thing, of course, living in a stable colony, together with their friends and family and not having to fear any threat from the outside. Lance prefers the safety of the colony over his own wish for a child, even if his instincts sometimes yearn for more. Lance is the mate in their relationship staying in the safety of their home, and with Keith being the provider for food and everything else they will ever need in their lives, Lance‘s brain sometimes tricks him into thinking that he should be the one raising the offspring.

To think that this little voice in his head would ever be silenced was out of Lance‘s imagination.

But it‘s happening, with Keith coming back from a big hunt with an allied colony from the north. Instead of food or presents, he‘s holding a small bundle of dark seaweed, the translucent red shell of an egg peaking out from the leaves. Keith holds the unborn guppy close to his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around it to keep it safe from the curious eyes of the other mer.

Only when Lance comes to greet him Keith looks up from the child, his violet eyes big and pleading, silently asking for Lance to accept the baby as his own.

As if Lance could ever deny him.

His instincts scream at him to hold the baby before he can even take a proper look at it. Only when they are back in their cave, hidden from the commotion of the other mer outside, Lance dares to unwrap blanket of seaweed from the egg and admire the child.

_Their child._

Even though the guppy isn‘t born yet, eyes closed and little fin tugged close to its stomach, Lance can already make out that it‘s a little girl, her hair the same color as Keith‘s, but curled like Lance‘s short hair when he lets it dry on the sand. Her tiny hands are balled into fists, and she looks like she is frowning, her rest disrupted from the noises outside the cave.

Through the red shell of the egg, her fin looks red as well, though it could also be a strong yellow or soft pink. Lance can‘t take his eyes off her, even if he wants to, what he definitely doesn‘t. He only looks up when Keith takes Lance‘s hand to squeeze it a little bit to tight, all his senses too raw.

„The people from the northern colony mentioned that they got attacked a few cycles ago when the hunters were all out, and her parents died in the battle.“ Keith‘s eyes move to the guppy. They are full of sadness and anger, the memories of losing his own father to a hostile colony still fresh, even years later. „They didn‘t have any space for her.“

A proper place to keep the guppies safe whenever the protectors are out hunting is one of the most important things for a big colony, but with the constant need for food, recourses and living quarters, it is at the far end of the priority list. Lance had to stay hidden in his family‘s cave with his mother and siblings whenever his father was out hunting, and was later one of the first caretakers that emerged from the ranks, when the colony grew large enough to provide a nursery.

Other colonies, like their allies are not equipped with safe places for their children yet, so the risks of loosing people or even the whole colony to attacks of other mer is quite high for them. Lance is glad that their colony, as well as Keith, are safe from those risks.

Lance uses their intertwined hands and traces the pattern on the shell, little waves that look like the wind playing with the sea. The guppy moves a bit, wiggles her tail and unclenches her hands until she stills, nuzzled into the side of the egg that is pressed into Lance‘s chest.

It‘s endearing, and Lance coos at her before looking up to see his mate with a wobbly smile and the fondest of gazes.

„She‘s safe with us,“ Lance whispers at him, not able to hide his own little smile with his parental instincts sated and his heart filled with even more love than before. With the newfound part of his own, little family, he feels like the happiest mer in all oceans.


	20. Team

„Alright, let‘s try again.“ Lance leans a bit forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he‘s sitting cross-legged on Keith‘s bed in the afternoon-light-setting of the castle.

Keith mirrors him, cross-legged and leaning forward, a bit closer to Lance to get the promised kiss if he finally gets it right. His eyebrows are almost touching as he furrows them so hard, and his lips pressed into a straight line while he tries to concentrate.

Lance takes a deep breath. „I say Vol-, you say -tron. Vol-?“

„Voltron.“

„No!“ Lance whines, flopping himself back on the bed in the most dramatic way, but after thirty minutes of trying to teach Keith the correct line it‘s almost impossible to do it normally. Lance presses his hands on his face and groans loudly, because he just can‘t anymore.

He‘s almost sure that Keith is teasing him by now, if it wasn‘t for the cute way his brows draw even lower with confusion and his clear dissatisfaction of not getting any kisses. He looks like a kicked puppy, only that his confused face looks kind of murderous.

„I don‘t get it.“

Lance had tried every possible explanation, trying to go as deep as to explain the origin of these chants and the value of them in certain situations, and then trying to keep it shallow and saying that Keith just needs to accept it the way it is.

Nothing works.

And Lance is quite frankly at his wit‘s end. Even bribing doesn‘t work, as Keith is still desperately waiting for a kiss. But after years of growing up with annoying siblings and the never-ending ‚why‘ from his niece and nephew, Lance is not willing to give up yet.

„Okay, one last try,“ Lance sighs, clapping his hands together like his mother does whenever trying to gather the last remaining pieces of patience left in her.

Keith sighs as well, his gaze focused downwards, not willing to look at his boyfriend. „Lance, tha-„

„Just let me try,“ Lance interrupts quickly. „One last time, promise. After that you get as many kisses as you want, without having to say it.“

Keith looks up from his hands, eyebrows quirked up in interest. He‘s smirking with the promise of kisses so close, something he‘s been waiting for the past thirty minutes. He‘s usually not that patient, even with his own boyfriend, and Lance is surprised that Keith hasn‘t attacked him yet.

„Okay.“

Lance smiles at him, grateful for the last chance Keith is willing to give him, even if bribing is a huge part of it. „Alright. We are a team, you and me, right? Not just boyfriends, but a team as well.“

„I guess?“ Keith shrugs.

„And in a team, you sometimes do things that might not make sense to you, but makes your teammate really happy, right?“

Keith tilt his head, probably not knowing where Lance wants to take this, but trying to keep up nevertheless. „Yes?“

Lance nods, more at himself than at Keith, and takes a minute to think about his next words. He knows what he wants to say, at least in his head, but finding the right words for Keith is sometimes a bit hard. Keith can be a bit dense from time to time, after all.

„You remember when I asked you to stop scraping your nails over your jeans?“ Lance raises his eyebrows, as if this didn‘t happen only a month ago.

Keith nods. „Because you don‘t like the sound.“

„Uh-hu. And what did you do?“

„I stopped.“

„Exactly. You could have told me to get used to it, or to stop being such a baby about it, but you didn‘t, because you love me, and you got rid of a habit to make me happy.“ That seems to make sense to Keith, and Lance quickly adds another example to stress his point. „And when you couldn‘t stand the smell of one of my face masks, what did I do?“

Keith smiles at the memory. „You threw all of them out.“

Lance nods again, this time more enthusiastic, a smile forming on his own lips. „I could have used them when you were not around, or I could have told you to get over it, but I didn‘t, because I love you, and I wanted to show you that you are more important to me than a few face masks.“

Keith chuckles quietly, and doesn‘t push Lance away when he leans in to catch Keith‘s hand between his own. Lance squeezes his hands and lets them dangle in the space between them, looking at the quirk of Keith‘s lips and the glint in his eyes.

Said glint turns confused, as Keith remembers the topic. „What has that to do with the chant?“

Now it‘s Lance‘s time to shine. He puffs out his chest a little bit, already knowing that he‘s got Keith this time, and dares to feel a tiny little bit proud of himself.

„Simple,“ he starts. „When I say Vol-, you say -tron, not because it makes sense to you or not, and not because the rest of the team does it like this, and not because it raises the morale if we all shout the same.“

Lance takes a deep breath, trying to emphasize the next words with the deep feelings he has for his boyfriend, and all the things Keith does for him. „You say it because you love me, and because it makes me really happy if you say it.“

„That‘s so stupid.“

„It‘s not stupid if it works,“ Lance counters with a line from one of his favorite movies. Something he wants to make Keith watch as soon as they get a day off back on earth.

Focussing back on the topic, he makes sure to catch Keith‘s eyes and hold his gaze, scolding his face to look more serious than smiling when he tries again. „I say Vol-, you say -tron. Vol-?“

Keith sighs, and Lance can see that he‘s fighting hard to not roll his eyes. He might seem a bit annoyed, but in the end, he relents. „-tron.“

„Yes!“ Lance jumps from his seat, right into Keith‘s open arms to pepper him with kisses. One lands on his check, another on his nose, the next on his chin and Keith is laughing through it until their lips finally connect.

„Well done, babe,“ Lance whispers against Keith‘s lips, relishing in the blissed out smile his boyfriend doesn‘t even try to hide. Seems like today‘s lesson benefits both of them in multiple ways.


	21. Flirt

That Lance likes to flirt with every pretty person in the universe is a well known fact. It‘s kind of a tool of communication for him, since nothing works better to break the ice or to loosen up a tense situation with a flirty line, even if people just laugh about it.

Which most do, since Lance‘s lines are quite ridiculous. He already got rid of most lines that only humans would get and tried to think of more universal things to say, and the more time he spends on them, the funnier they get.

‚You’re so attractive, the gravitational disturbance is causing my galactic center to elongate.‘ is his favorite one currently, because he uses it whenever they touch down on a new planet. It‘s followed by ‚Hey baby, are you made of dark matter? Because you‘re indescribable.‘ and not to forget the cheesiest one, ‚I think you might be a star, because I can‘t stop orbiting around you.‘

Those are only three of the hundreds of different, space-themed pick-up lines Keith heard Lance say in the past hour after they arrived at the banquet of two allied planets. Every single one of them was directed at beautiful aliens that Lance has laid an eye on, even though most of them only laugh at his advanced before moving on to chat or ask questions about Voltron.

It‘s amazing how Lance is able to approach all those people with ease. While he talks and talks about Voltron and his life as a Paladin, he always makes sure to ask the aliens about their planet, and stuff about traditions and things they generally like talking about. Lance gains a lot of information about new species and their customs like this, is usually the first person after Coran who knows what is allowed and what will get frowned upon within the specific races.

Meanwhile, Keith leans against a pillar at the far end of the banquet hall, an untouched drink in his hand and the resting bitch-face omnipresent, hoping that people will simply ignore him. He is bad with social situations, terrible at small talk and can never remember all those dos and don‘ts Coran tries to teach the team before every party.

It‘s probably best if he just stays out of the spotlight, trying to keep his eyes open for his team while everyone else is having fun. He knows that Pidge and Hunk are still talking to the scientists of the planet about the amazing shielding system they have created to cover not only one, but two aligning planets from Galran attacks.

Coran is shadowing Allura and Shiro while they talk with the leaders of both planets about the alliance and the resources they are willing to send towards the rebel colonies. Lance is still in the middle of everything, laughing and talking and dancing with dozen of different, equally beautiful aliens that clearly enjoy his company.

Keith can feel his eyebrows furrow even deeper, and he frowns into his drink while ignoring the biting feelings in his heart. He tries to tell himself that he is not jealous of the attention those aliens get from Lance, that he doesn‘t want to be the one Lance is holding in his arms, that he hates dancing in general and would rather die than hear one of Lance‘s stupid pick-up lines directed at him.

That everything he‘s feeling when he looks at Lance is annoyance.

His heart knows that he‘s lying though.

„What got you in such a bad mood?“

Keith looks up, shocked to see Lance not in the middle of the banquet hall anymore, but standing right in front of him, a drink in his hand, cheeks rosy and his hair a bit ruffled from the previous dancing. He‘s smile at him teasingly, knowing exactly that Keith dislikes these parties and prefers to stay ignored.

Lance tilts his head when Keith doesn‘t answer immediately. Honestly, Keith doesn‘t even know what to say, since Lance knows exactly what‘s going on, being the one who points out Keith‘s inability to have fun at such events whenever he gets the chance to.

Keith huffs silently, raises his drink to his lips to take a few sips, hoping that Lance will just ignore him like the rest of the present people do.

But Lance takes a few steps forward to lean against the pillar as well, his shoulder brushing Keith‘s when he bumps into him playfully, and Keith can‘t help but enjoy the lingering touch for what it‘s worth, even if a couple layers of armor make it impossible to feel anything else but some light pressure.

„Are you alright?“ Lance asks now, his voice carefully quiet with all those people around him. Keith‘s frown seems to keep everyone at least five feet away from them though, so they don‘t have to worry about being heard over the volume of chatter around them.

Keith still won‘t answer, the softness in Lance‘s voice making his heart skip a beat and his thoughts scramble like scared up chicken. Lance bumps into his shoulder again, still looking at Keith but his eyes turn worried now, all the teasing and playfulness gone, which doesn‘t sit right with Keith.

„I‘m okay, Lance,“ Keith says finally, even though his eyes skip right back to the cup in his hands, what practically gives him away. It was Lance as well who pointed out that Keith is not able to maintain any eye-contact when he‘s lying. Lance is just too observant sometimes.

„I‘m sure Shiro will let you skip the party if you hate it so much,“ Lance offers, voice still quiet but now laced with a hint of concern. He leans a bit forward to catch Keith‘s eyes, while Keith makes a point in avoiding him even further. Keith can feel his lips form into a wobbly line, his discomfort about the whole situation clearly present on his face.

It‘s just so stupid how Keith can already feel the jealousy vanish as soon as Lance‘s attention is on him, even if it‘s because Keith is being an anti-social dumbass.

„It‘s fine,“ Keith offers now, barely able to hear his own murmur, but with Lance leaning so closes now he‘s sure that he got it.

Lance huffs beside him, and when Keith finally looks up again, he can see an amused smile together with the worried crease of his eyebrows, and the doubt clear in his eyes. „Dude, you really d-“

„I don‘t hate it,“ Keith interrupts, stressing every word with a pointed look. At least he can be honest with that, since the party is not really the issue this time. Sure, he can think of better ways to spend his evening instead of leaning against a pillar and avoiding conversations as much as possible, but it‘s not the worst.

His traitorous heart is, though.

Keith sighs, trying to find an explanation for his awkwardness that is somewhat near the truth. „I- uh…“ he starts, making sure to actually look at Lance while speaking and keeping his face carefully neutral, „I guess I‘m just bored.“

„Oh.“ Lance‘s eyebrows raise a bit and his eyes widen while his lips stay pressed together in a little pout. He seems to think about Keith‘s answer for a second. „Well, I guess you are, since talking and dancing are the only things you can do here, and you hate both.“

„I don’t hate talking to you,“ Keith says before his brain can catch up. He quickly raises the cup to his lips, trying to hide his blush that‘s spreading over his cheeks as soon as he realizes what he just said.

Lance chuckles quietly. „Do you now?“

While Keith sips on his drink, a few aliens gather around them to talk. Keith is, after all, more approachable when Lance is standing next to him, and conversations don‘t bother him much when the focus is on Lance instead of him.

Lance keeps the talk short, answers a few questions and lets the people wander off as soon as they are done. No pick-up line, no flirting, not even accepting the invitation to the next dance, which is unlike him.

„You don‘t have to stick to me, you know,“ Keith says after the aliens are gone, feeling guilty for occupying so much of Lance just because, he is bored‘. „I don‘t want to ruin your evening.“

„I prefer talking to you,“ Lance answers with a smile, open and upfront and so honest that Keith can‘t stop his heart from skipping another beat. If anyone asks, he‘s blaming the blush on the alcohol in his drink, even though he‘s pretty sure that there is nothing in there at all.

„Do you now?“ Keith answers, surprised over the teasing tone in his own voice.

„I do,“ Lance offers with another laugh. „But I would love to dance as well. The music here reminds me a bit of the music at home.“ He lets his eyes wander over the dance floor, the people there moving in pairs in circles that remind Keith of a waltz.

And Keith knows that he will regret the words as soon as they are out, can feel the dread in his stomach about the embarrassment he will find himself in a matter of seconds before he even opens his mouth to speak, but the longing look in Lance‘s eyes makes him feel even worse, and he needs to change that immediately.

„I don‘t hate dancing as well,“ Keith murmurs, his breath catching in his throat as Lance whips his head around, lips parted but already forming to a smile as his hit with the meaning of Keith‘s words.

Lance is grabbing his hand a second later, holding on a bit to tight as he drags Keith across the room with a big smile. Keith is barely able to leave his cup on a floating tray along the way, and a few steps later he is in Lance‘s arms, face to face with his pearly smile and shining eyes.

Keith doesn‘t need to think about the steps, or about the fact that he does not know how to dance the waltz in the first place, because Lance‘s joyous laugh is hypnotizing him as he gets lead over the dance floor with easy. He is goo in Lance‘s arms, doesn‘t realize when the music changes to another song, and then another.

Only when Shiro calls them from the side that it‘s time to return to the castle Keith realizes that they spend the rest of the evening dancing, laughing, and forgetting the time.

„Thanks, Keith,“ Lance says later on, when they part ways to get into their rooms in the castle. His smile is still bright, eyes still sparkling, and Keith is still lest breathless. „You‘re not half as bad as I thought.“

With a wink Lance vanishes into his room, leaving Keith stunned in the hallway, utterly confused at what just happened. Did Lance just flirt with him, while teasing him at the same time?

Keith huffs as he gets into his own room, ignoring the heat in his cheeks and his thumping heart, and especially the thousand questions in his head to try and get some sleep. He is exhausted after all, with all the hours of dancing he has done tonight.

He would gladly do it again.


	22. Fireworks

In romance novels and films people always describe the first kiss with the person you love to be like fireworks. Millions of beautiful lights exploding in your head, the fluttering nervousness getting replaced by love and affection with the bang that follows seconds after.

Sometimes Keith asks himself if those fireworks will ever stop. Every time he kisses Lance those fireworks go off. The lights and the bang and the nervousness and the love and affection, it‘s always the same.

And back in their first month together, Keith really hoped that his heart would calm down after getting used to Lance‘s gently touches and soft kisses. That it might not skip a few beats whenever Lance leans in with his teasing smirk. That, maybe, it would not try to kill Keith when Lance brushes their lips together while whispering the most beautiful things.

Yeah, guess what. Keith is still left breathless after the simplest touch, feels agitated and restless when Lance pulls away too soon and needs to hold himself back from taking Lance‘s face into his hands and force his lips back on Keith‘s.

And knowing how hot-headed Keith tends to be, that happens more times than he‘d like to admit. And when Lance lets Keith draw him in without any hesitance, when he holds Keith with the same force, his hands around Keith‘s hips and neck; well, then the next wave of fireworks start, exploding in the prettiest colors in Keith‘s chest and sending shockwaves through his whole body.

And Keith really hopes that this never stops.


	23. Hands

Lance hands are always soft. He likes to take care of them, with special peelings and creams, with manicures and massages, too keep them as soft as possible, without any blisters or calluses that could tell a different story.

But Lance doesn‘t only take care of his hands, he takes care of his whole body. That‘s why everything about him is soft; his hair, his face, his skin, his smiles, and the way he loves. His hands though are the softest, with all the things he does for them, and with all the things he does with them.

Just like now, where he is gently caressing all of Keith‘s skin where he can get his hands on. They are lying in his small bed in his old room back on his parents farm, the little bed way too tiny for the two of them, but they make it work.

A movie is playing in the background, but Keith pays is no mind. He is way too focused on the fingers that are traveling up and down his spine under his shirt, gently caressing every curve and bone, and every sore muscle from todays work on the fields.

Keith‘s hands are not as soft as Lance‘s, full of blisters and calluses from building fences and misting stables, from feeding chicken and milking cows. Lance had offered him some of his creams or treatments as well, so their skin can be equally soft, but he doesn‘t mind the roughness on them, especially since Lance likes them so much.

Where Keith likes it soft, Lance likes it rough.

Lying on Lance‘s chest, Keith has one arm pressed to his side, and the other on Lance‘s stomach, under his shirt of course, right where the chests fades over to his stomach. Under his callused skin he can feel Lance‘s muscle play under his touch, the bulge of his abs and the valleys between them, and, of course, the softness of his skin.

Lance body has changed since he started living on his parents farm. He is still tall and thinner than Keith, but he has packed up some muscles from working every day, something that even the constant training back on the castle couldn‘t help him with. Though, Lance didn‘t really enjoy training as much as Keith did back then, but he definitely loves working with his family right now.

With his hands scratching over Lance‘s tummy, Keith can feel the shivers running over Lance‘s chest whenever he gets to a particular ticklish spot, like the one just under his chest, or the one right where his happy trail starts.

Keith loves touching those spots, not to tease his boyfriend, but to see how much his touch, his callused and bruised hands have an effect on Lance. He loves every single reaction he can get out of him, the little huffs and absentminded smiles, and the way Lance stops the teasing by taking Keith‘s hand and intertwining their fingers when he‘s had enough.

Keith loves Lance‘s hands, the one under his shirt and the one in his own, especially when Lance lets him pull it close so willingly to kiss each finger and then the back of his hand. When Lance does the same to his hand, scratchy or not, Keith can do nothing but hide his smile in Lance‘s chest, hoping that Lance will never let go.


	24. Summer

Lance loved the summer.

Like many water fey, the summer was his favorite season. He could stay outside all day, enjoy the sun while doing his daily work and soak up on the summer heat until his body was warm and his wings started to sparkle from all the solar energy. He could let his windows open every day to let fresh air inside his home, and to hear the sound of nature around him, even at night.

Lance lived in a hollowed out tree trunk near his parents home, right next to a big river, surrounded by mountains and forest. All his siblings lived close, just like his friends, because Lance never really left home or travelled further than the borders of his families grounds.

Being a water fey, Lance was very in tune with nature, especially everything the water of the river touched. His job was to make sure that all plants and animals living in his part of the forest were happy and healthy, and that the river stayed clear of anything that could harm it.

Thanks to his magic, his job was pretty easy. Lance couldn‘t really control it for much more than watering some plants, or healing small wounds like cuts and blisters, but he could always feel when something was off with the forest, or if something big was going to happen soon, like a thunderstorm coming around, or a stranger traveling through the woods.

That‘s why Lance has been feeling kind of queasy for the past few days, the subtle feeling of something about to happen making him feel restless, even while sleeping. In the night he dreamt of pale skin and dark hair, surrounded by magic as hot as the sun, and wings colored like a bonfire.

His magic knew that someone was coming towards Lance, a fey from the Firelands, but it didn‘t tell Lance why that person was coming, or even how. There were multiple ways to get to him, after all. Through the river, through the forest, or through the mountains, but Lance was surrounded by his friends and family, and they would tell him if someone was coming his way.

Nothing happened though, no letter, no notice, not even a visit of his loved ones warning him, until the dreams suddenly stopped one night.

It was the same night a thunderstorm rolled around, something that Lance has been anticipating just as much as the stranger. It was in the middle of summer after all, and sudden storms with heavy downpour were a common thing in Lance‘s homeland.

Lance was sitting quite comfortably in his armchair when the first flashes of lightning illuminated the sky. The following deep rumble of the thunder made his wings tremble, and he held the cup of tea in his hands tighter to make sure he didn‘t drop it accidentally.

With the rain starting and the wind picking up a few moments later, the weird feeling from before started to echo even stronger through Lance‘s body. The storm finally arrived, so the only thing that it could mean that the stranger arrived as well.

Soon after Lance realized that the fire fey must be stuck in the downpour outside. Another flash illuminated the forest, and with it the ground right in front of Lance‘s home and a figure standing in the middle, drenched to the bones and shivering like crazy.

Lance jumped from his seat and run to his door, throwing it open and shouting over the drumming of the rain for the person to get inside. Thankfully Lance got his attention without having to go outside and getting drenched as well.

After the fey entered his home, Lance quickly grabbed some towels from the chest in his bedroom and gave it to him before getting into his kitchen to prepare some tea.

The fey dried himself off as good as possible, but with his cold clothes sticking to his body, he was still shivering when Lance came back to hand him the cup of tea. Lance lead the fey to his armchair next to his little fireplace, where firestones radiating heat replaced a real fire that would be too dangerous in his wooden home.

Before the fey could say anything, Lance went back to his bedroom to get him a change of clothes as well as more blankets. There could never be enough blankets.

When Lance was sure that the stranger would not die from hypothermia, or get a cold from freezing outside for so long, he sat himself down on a stool next to him. Like this he could feel the heat of the firestones as well, and replace them with new ones in case they burned out.

Lance filled the cup of the fey with more tea, a herbal mix that would kill of any sign of sickness before it could even start to spread, and encouraged the fey to drink up.

„Thank you,“ the fey said after a while, his whole body still shivering, but at least not as bad as before.

„Don‘t worry about it,“ Lance answered quickly. He looked outside, where the rain was pouring down even harder than before. „I‘m just glad you made it here in one piece. Thunderstorms can be dangerous after all.“

The strangers head picked up. He stared at Lance with a frown, his eyebrows drawn close together and his forehead furrowed. „You knew I was coming?“

„I had a feeling,“ Lance said with a smile, shrugging nonchalantly as if that was a normal thing. It was, for him, but most fey were still amazed by his powers, even if he couldn‘t control them. „Why are you here in the first place, if I may ask?“

„I-“ The fey hesitated. He looked around the Lance‘s living room and through the windows outside, biting his lips as he watched the rain fall for a few, long minutes. „I don‘t know.“

„You don‘t know?“

Lance raised his eyebrows, leaning a bit forward to catch the eyes of the stranger. They were indigo, a color Lance has never seen in someones eyes before, and with the blanket slowly dropping of his shoulder, Lance could see that his wings were the even more beautiful than in his dreams.

Overall the fey looked even more beautiful than in Lance‘s dreams, with his skin as pale as the moonlight and his hair as dark as the night. Lance felt himself drawn to him, enchanted by his beauty, even with the frown on his face and the unsure look in his eyes.

The fey shrugged at Lance‘s question. He leant back in his chair, kneading the blanket in his hands. Lance realized that he must feel pretty uncomfortable in the middle of water territory, far away from home without any clue on why he went all the way here in the first place.

With a sigh, Lance got up from his chair. „Well, I doesn‘t matter for now. You are welcome to stay as long as you want.“

The fey got up as well. „I don‘t w-“

„Nu-uh,“ Lance interrupted, raising a hand to stop the fey and press him back down into the armrest. „You are staying. At least until the storm passes, which won‘t happen before tomorrow.“

The fey seemed to realize that arguing with Lance would be impossible, especially since getting back into the storm right after drying off would be a pretty stupid thing to do. He cuddled back into the mountain of blankets and a little bit closer to the firestones to his side.

„Thank you… uhm…“

„My name is Lance.“

„Thank you, Lance.“ The fey smiled softly, and the worry in his eyes seemed to lessen a little bit. „I‘m Keith.“

Lance smiled as well, feeling happy on finally having a name for the pretty fey. „Alright, Keith. How about dinner?“

The grumbling of Keith‘s stomach was answer enough. Keith quickly hid his blush in the blanket, but Lance saw it nevertheless, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the endearing image.

„Dinner sounds great,“ Keith murmured from under the blanket, hiding even further when Lance vanished with a laugh into the kitchen, only to reemerge to help out with preparing the food.

The rain continued to patter outside, unaware about the two souls it brought together. But it didn‘t need to know, just like the two fey inside, what fate had planned for them.


	25. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Part Four of my Avian AU!  
> [ Here is Part One!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42485147)  
> [ Here is Part Two!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603475)  
> [ Here is Part Three!!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603526)

Lance trusts Keith, and both know that. Why else would Lance let Keith cuddle into his nest whenever possible? And why else would he accept Keith‘s wings around his shoulders and back when they are together? Why else would he he enjoy the subtle touches of Keith‘s hand on the small of Lance‘s back, or their fingers brushing together when they walk next to each other?

Lance trusts Keith, that is a fact. But sometimes, Keith does things that Lance doesn‘t quite get.

Like, sending mean glances towards people visiting their colony that get close to Lance. Or like growling at an avian that wouldn‘t stop following Lance, even though he kindly asked him not to.

Or like pulling Lance away from the crowd of people by his arm, ignoring the looks from the other avian and Lance‘s questions.

„Keith?“ Lance tries again, though Keith doesn‘t answer him. Lance doesn‘t really know what to do, what he did that made Keith angry in the first place, so he just follows him worriedly.

He has never seen Keith so annoyed before.Even when Lance wouldn‘t stop teasing him about his hair or his first feathers that looked even fluffier than his down. Back then Keith would have pouted at him, pushing him away whenever Lance tried to hug him and only accepted an apology if it was in the form of food or cuddles.

Right now, Keith‘s feathers are ruffed up and his wings tensely clinging on his back and around Lance‘s waist. His grip is like steel around Lance‘s wrist, impossible to escape, but not hard enough to hurt Lance. The pout is missing from his face, and there is clear anger sparkling in his eyes.

Keith leads them away from the center of the colony, where their families and the visitors have gathered to eat some food and trade stories about their homes. Lance would have loved to hear more stories, but the avian getting so close to him made him too uncomfortable to go back.

If Keith would ever let him return.

They are walking in silence for a good while, Keith‘s grip never faltering, even though his wings loosen up the further they get away from the colony. It‘s when they reach the river, one of their favorite places to hang out when they have nothing to do, that Keith finally stops.

Lance stands beside Keith to carefully take him in. He still looks as angry as before, but quickly scolds his face with a deep breath when he notices Lance staring at him.

„Keith?“ Lance takes a step closer, feels the wing around his back move with him. They pull him in, probably subconscious by the way Keith is biting his lips deep in thought. Lance takes his free hand to place it on Keith‘s shoulder, trying to get his attention. „Keith, are you alright?“

Lance doesn‘t get an answer, but with the deep breaths Keith is taking, holding them every now and then to collect himself, Lance knows that something is terribly wrong. There is a heavy feeling in his chest, guilt and confusion mixing together.

His voice is timid when takes another step closer to Keith, his chest almost flush with Keith‘s side. „Are you mad at me?“

Keith‘s head whips around. „What? No!“ He tilts his head to the side, his eyebrows drawn down while his face mirrors the same confusion Lance is feeling. „Why would I be mad at you?“

Lance shrugs anxiously. „I don‘t know! You just pulled me away without a word, and you look so angry.“ Lance bites his lips. „What else should I think?“

Keith‘s shoulders slump down and his eyes get soft. The anger in them vanished as if the river has taken it away. Keith finally lets Lance‘s wrist go to take his hand instead, squeezing it gently, just like he always does.

„I‘m sorry.“ Keith murmurs lowly, but with how close they are standing together, Lance can hear him even over the rushing of the river. „I‘m not mad at you.“

„What is it then?“ Lance asks even more careful. He does want answers, but he doesn‘t want Keith to get angry at him for prying too much either.

Keith seems to hear the wariness in Lance‘s voice. „I‘m just-“ he starts, and stops himself right away. He presses his lips into a thin line, raises his free hand to run his fingers through his hair and scratch the back of his neck. Keith is hesitant to answer, opening and closing his mouth many times, but Lance squeezing his hand seems to get the words out. „I got jealous.“

„What?“ It‘s definitely nothing Lance has anticipated.

Keith takes another deep breath. „That avian got too close to you, and I got jealous.“

„Oh.“

Those words, together with Keith‘s blushing and adverted eyes makes something click in Lance‘s head. He thinks back to the things that have changed between them, to the sudden intimacy, all those presents, and Keith‘s closeness when they are surrounded by others.

It‘s a big leap, Lance knows that.

„Keith?“

„Yeah?“

But Keith has always been there for him, ready to catch him when Lance fell.

„Why did you get jealous?“

And Lance is falling right now.

„I-“

But Lance trusts Keith.

And Keith trusts Lance just the same. Why else would he let Lance play with his wings during their long nights in Lance‘s nest? Why else would he bring Lance to his favorite hide out spots, without even making him promise to tell anyone? And why else would he not flinch away when Lance holds his hand a little bit too tight, when his other hand finds Keith‘s cheek to guide him closer, when Lance bites his lip nervously as he leans in?

Why else would Keith meet him in the middle?


	26. City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is Part Four of my Mer fic!  
> [Here is Part One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42484292) and [here is Part Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603301) and [here is Part Three!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603553)

Lance knows that their colony is quite big. They have their nursery, and multiple houses carved into walls and build from kelp surrounding it. They have a warehouse for all the things they find and can‘t use yet, like wooden chests from the creatures above the water, or pretty stones for trading. It‘s almost like one of those landwalkers cities.

The colony is big enough to keep everyone safe from war and attacks from other colonies and predators that like eating mer like him.

It is also big enough to easily loose his little guppy.

„Maris, where are you?“

To be fair, Lance didn‘t loose his child. They are playing hide after all, so she is not lost until it‘s time for them to go home. Or until Lance finds her, but he knows by experience that it is impossible to catch his little guppy when she‘s really trying not to be found.

Just like her dad when they were younger. Lance has never been able to find Keith when they played hide and seek together, one of the only games that Keith was far superior than him. And, being the awesome dad he is, Keith just had to show their little girl all the good hiding spots.

„Maris? Are you here?“

Lance swims between a group of boulders, trying to find his girl in the middle of them. He hears a faint laugh, recognizes it easily as the giggle of his daughter, but with the stones reflecting her echo, he has no idea where it comes from.

„I can hear you!“ he shouts nevertheless, hoping to get Maris nervous enough to make a mistake.

She wouldn‘t be his daughter though if she let herself get played like this.

Behind a big rock to his left he hears a swooshing sound, like fins pounding though water, and he follows it with a winning smile. Lance sneaks around the corner, carefully making sure that he doesn‘t make any sound and keeping his big fins tugged to his body to make himself as small as possible.

In one swift move he rounds the corner, arms spread out wide to catch his child if she tries to flee, but is met with cold kelp sloshing around his body.

„What?“

He hears the giggle again, this time clearer without the echo. His daughter is already gone, far away from the boulders and the kelp-trap. Lance huffs in defeat, lets his body sink on a rock and rest for a minute with his eyes closed.

Almost twenty full moons have passed since Maris left the safe shell of her egg, surprising Keith and him with her early birth. They were worried at first that she wouldn‘t grow up like the other guppies, that she might not be as healthy and happy as they would like her to be, but the worries vanished soon.

Maris is, just like her fathers, full of energy and love. It‘s hard to keep her still for more than a few moments, and Lance and Keith always have play outside their little home when she‘s feeling too restless again.

Just like now. With Keith gone for almost five sun cycles, Lance has to make sure that Maris gets enough of her energy out when she‘s with him and the other guppies in the nursery, and again when it should be time to go home and prepare dinner, like Lance should do by now.

It‘s a bit tiring, to be honest, trying to keep up with Maris energy levels. Lance pushes himself off his resting place and towards the direction he heard Maris swim. He has to catch her before the sun settles and it gets too dark to play outside.

With a sigh he follows a little trail of bubbles towards the center of the colony, where the nursery is located. It‘s already late, so no one is around anymore. There aren‘t any hunts planned as long as Keith and a few other mer are visiting an allied colony towards the west, so most guppies are with their parents.

Lance misses Keith, just like Maris does. She hasn‘t been sleeping well the past few nights, just like Lance, even though her sudden burst of energy when Lance requested to play doesn‘t seem like it. It‘s a weak attempt to distract both of them from Keith‘s absence.

When Lance reaches a group of kelp houses near their own home, he can hear the faint giggles again. Warm spreads through his body when he hears his little guppy so happy and carefree. He follows the sound of her voice. Her little chirps get louder the nearer he gets, until he‘s able to pinpoint her location behind a bush of kelp right in front of him.

Lance swims closer with little movement of his tail. Maris is not the only one who learned a lot from Keith, after all. Lance holds his breath, keeps low to the ground and tries his best to sneak up on his girl. He can hear her laugh, faint as if she‘s trying to hide it behind her hands. Only a few more strokes, and he‘ll be able to catch her. This time for sure.

Lance readies himself, tail tense as he slowly rounds the corner. His arms are outstretched again, his fingers tingle with how close he is now, so close to holding his laughing daughter in his arms. He bites his lip, trying to force down another winning smile, takes a silent breath and-

„Daddy!“

Lance freezes, just an arm‘s length away from Maris, trying to process her words. She doesn‘t call Lance ‚daddy‘, he calls her ‚papa‘. ‚Daddy‘ is-

„Maris? What are you doing here?“

The giggles get further away again as Maris swims into her daddy‘s arms. Keith catches her with ease, swirling around a few times while holding her close to his chest.

Lance swims around the kelp house and into Keith‘s view. His smile grows as Keith spots him, and he quickly swims over to wrap his arms around him and Maris. With a sigh Lance nuzzles into Keith‘s neck, enjoying the giggles from his daughter and the quiet laugh from his mate.

„We were playing hide and seek,“ Lance explains for his daughter, since she‘s still learning to say other things than her fathers names. Maris laughs approvingly, puffing up her chest like she‘s seen it her papa do.

„I guess you were winning,“ Keith says, bopping Maris nose and throwing her into another fit of giggles. Keith looks at her with fond eyes, his smile mirroring Lance‘s as they watch their daughter laugh and chirp in their arms.

„It‘s getting hard to find her with all the tricks you showed her,“ Lance accuses playfully, nudging Keith side while placing a kiss on his cheek. Keith turns his head to catch Lance‘s lips with his own instead. Lance hums into the kiss with a smile, enjoying the dreamy look in Keith‘s eyes when they pull apart. „You‘re back early.“

„I tried my best to come home quickly,“ Keith answers, nuzzling Maris hair as she refuses to let him go. Lance takes Keith‘s hand and starts swimming towards their home, guides Keith and Maris through the kelp houses until they reach their own little cave.

The cave is starting to get too small for the three of them, so they have to change houses soon, maybe with a family from the kelp houses who don‘t need so much space anymore.Their city is big enough after all, and it‘s easy to find a new home.

It’s a problem for later though, because now Lance simply want to enjoy dinner with his family, and a good nights rest since Keith is back home, and with that Lance‘s and Maris‘ favorite mer to cuddle.


	27. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Three of Internet Friends!  
> [Part One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42484532) & [Part Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603340)

With a sigh, Keith slumps into his bed.

Keith doesn‘t believe in magic. He stopped believing when Shiro wanted to be a magician and showed Keith all the stage tricks there were, ruining most of his childhood memories, at least the once that involve magic and tricks.

So, Keith doesn‘t believe in magic, or fate, or soulmates, or the universe having a bigger plan. He only believes that there is at least something out there that tries their best to screw him over.

Why, you ask? Well, Keith has already all those problems with trying to fit college, work and sleep in one regular day. His non-existent social life is a whole different matter, even though most of his friends are online anyway, and therefore easy to contact throughout the day.

No, what is really the final straw for Keith right now is his love live. Which is, just like his social life, pretty much non-existent, and he would prefer if it stays that way.

Why his heart decides to catch feelings for not only one, but two people, is beyond his comprehension.

Keith always knew that Lance was attractive, and attentive, and a nice guy overall. But many people are like that, so Keith‘s heart didn‘t have to fall for him. Okay, maybe he has the bluest eyes Keith has ever seen, and the prettiest laugh, and freckles that look like stars and curls that frame his face like a renaissance painting. But still.

And Blue? His best friend? He is attentive as well, and always knows how to cheer Keith up, or at least how to take his mind off all his problems. He is always there to listen to Keith‘s rants and to explain social cues Keith missed out during the day. On top of that, they share the same interest in movies and series, and even if they don‘t have anything to talk about, Blue always finds the perfect words or pictures to make Keith‘s day a little bit brighter.

So, two people, one in real life and the other in the internet, who are perfect, and probably way out of Keith‘s league. Keith doesn‘t even know how Blue looks like, and since most of their contact is through chats, he doesn‘t even know if Blue has any interest in Keith, or just in men. It‘s not something you ask your friend out of the -heh- blue.

His emotional dilemma is something that has been keeping him up at night lately. The nightmares replaced by worries, which probably avail to nothing in the end. How would any of those two perfect human beings like a sleep-deprived, anxious and socially inapt person like Keith Kogane?

With another sigh, Keith rolls over his pillow and kicks his sheets away. It‘s too warm in his room, the crappy A/C of his dorm room unable to keep the hot summer air cold enough to sleep. Keith‘s already only in boxers and a shirt, his hair pulled up in a ponytail so it doesn‘t stick to his neck like his bangs stick on his forehead.

It‘s too warm too sleep, and his mind is a whirling mess of ‚what if’s‘ and ‚maybe’s‘. Another sigh leaves his lips before he blindly grabs for his phone on his nightstand. It takes him a few moments to find it, and another moment for his eyes to get used to the bright light of his screen.

He can‘t help but open the chat option on tumblr, where the familiar icon of Blue greets him in quiet irony. Blue is still Keith‘s go-to late-night therapist, the only one who makes him feel like his problems aren‘t so big, even though Blue _is_ one of his problems.

 

**Red_Lion**  
_01:49 hey blue, u up?_

Keith half expects him to not answer at all, since it‘s Thursday morning, when Blue is usually at work, where the wifi is crappy and he mostly has no time to chat. That‘s why Keith started going to Lance in the first place.

Keith‘s heart skips a beat when his phone vibrates in his hands, and Blue‘s icon lights up in his home screen. With a smile Keith opens the app and starts reading Blue‘s response.

**BluePaladin2**  
_01:50 yeah, nightshift  
01:50 u can‘t sleep again?_

**Red_Lion  
** _01:51 same old_

**BluePaladin2**  
_01:52 I guess u still don‘t wanna talk?_

**Red_Lion  
** _01:53 not really. Though I‘ve been thinking about it…_

**BluePaladin2**  
_01:54 yeah?_  
01:54 that‘s great  
01:55 little steps, red

Keith breaths out the breath he has been holding. It‘s still a big red flag for Keith to talk about his nightmares,, but he took Lance‘s words to heart. Even if he‘s not really comfortable talking about his problems with Lance, Blue knows about most of the shit Keith is dealing with, and his constant reassurance that he‘s willing to listen is slowly starting to crack the walls Keith has set up around him.

The crushes might work in Blue‘s favor as well.

**Red_Lion**  
_01:57 change of topic?_

**BluePaladin2**  
_01:57 sure, I‘ve got time_

**Red_Lion**  
_01:58 where do u work at anyway?  
01:58 if ur always on the nightshift, but have no work_

**BluePaladin2**  
_01:59 I work at a diner_  
02:00 it‘s pretty slow during the week, mostly unpacking stuff that the dayshift had no time for, but hella busy on weekends  
02:02 nightshifts are horrible, but they pay well, and I got late classes anyway, so it works for me

Oh? Late classes and nightshifts, just like Lance.

Keith shifts in his bed. His feet play with a corner of his blanket that he hasn‘t pushed away yet, tugging it‘s scrunched up at his knees. Keith doesn‘t really know what to write next, so he lets Blue ramble on.

**BluePaladin2**  
_02:03 not even my favorite patron is coming tonight_  
02:04 though he only comes when he has nightmares  
02:05 so I guess it‘s good for him that he‘s not here

Huh? Sounds awfully familiar. Seems like Keith isn‘t the only one who suffers from stupid nightmares from time to time. Maybe that‘s why Blue knows how to calm Keith down so well, and how to reassure him without pressuring him to reveal something that he‘s not comfortable with.

**Red_Lion**  
_02:07 I do the same smt, when I can‘t sleep  
02:08 mostly when ur working_

**BluePaladin2**  
_02:10 what a coincidence_  
02:11 ur going to a Blue‘s diner by chance?  
02:13 it‘s the only 24/7 diner around here, so I guess that‘s why he‘s always coming

**Red_Lion**  
_02:14 same here, it‘s the only open shop that serves pancakes and coffee in the middle of the night  
02:15 ur never busy during the week, right?_

**BluePaladin2** __  
02:16 yeah  
02:17 honestly, my college is big enough to have more 24/7 shops  
02:18 but I guess people prefer to sleep during the week  
02:19 else it wouldn‘t be so empty…

Keith‘s campus is quite big as well, and sometimes he wonders why there is only one diner that‘s open throughout the night. But thinking of Lance, and how he can spend most of his time talking to Keith whenever he visits during the night, it would probably too risky for other stores to open as well.

**Red_Lion**  
_02:21 I prefer it when it‘s empty  
02:22 that‘s why I only go during the week_

**BluePaladin2**  
_02:23 ofc u do  
02:24 I‘m starting to believe that ur my favorite patron_

Keith huffs silently. He feels wide awake after staring so long at the screen, and his brain starts it‘s usual rambling again. Since Keith realized his feelings for Blue, he has had multiple daydreams about meeting him in person one day. And most of the time he imagines Lance revealing himself to be Blue, because of their similar personalities, and because of the huge crush Keith has for both of them.

But those are dreams, imaginations and nothing that could ever happen in real life. Keith doesn‘t believe in magic after all, so he just humors the coincidences, not thinking too much about it.

**Red_Lion** _  
02:25 who knows. I could be_

**BluePaladin2  
** _02:27 well, unless u are asian, with a preference MCR shirts and an 80‘s mullet, ur not him_

Wait a second.

Keith rereads the last sentence, and then another time, and another time until Blue writes again.

**BluePaladin2** _  
02:28 that would be way too crazy_

Yeah, that would be way too crazy. But…

Keith looks down on himself. Even with the dim light of his phone he can make out the old, almost faded MCR-logo of his favorite shirt, and the same logo on the hoodie that lays at the end of his bed. Keith‘s hand find move to his neck, where the longest strands of his hair curl from the sweat, and remembers all the teasing nickname Lance gave him the second time Keith came around past midnight.

And, yeah. Keith _is_ half-Korean.

**BluePaladin2 _  
_** _02:29 the universe doesn‘t work like that_

The universe should not work like that. Keith doesn‘t believe in that shit. Not in magic, or soulmates, or fate, or the universe taking control of his stupid life. And especially not in the coincidence that his best friend from the internet is the same person Keith has been visiting almost weekly for the past year.

That‘s just-

It can‘t _be_!

…

Right?

Keith is out of his bed and at his door before he even realizes it. He grabs the first pair of short he can find, pockets his phone and throws on some sneakers before his brain catches up. He stops, hand on the doorknob, body frozen and mind a screaming ball of sudden fear.

What if it isn‘t true? What if Blue just happens to have a sleepless feeling, MCR loving asian guy with an old haircut that is not Keith? What if-

No! Keith stops his tumbling thoughts before they can slide even further. He wants to know. He _needs_ to know.

With a shuddering breath he opens the door and leaves his dorm. As soon as he is outside, Keith starts running towards the diner, ignoring the phone vibrating in his pocket for now. Soon enough he will know for sure if Lance is really Blue.

**BluePaladin2** __  
02:32 right?  
02:36 red?  
02:45 well, I guess ur sleeping  
02:46 goodnight, red! Sweet dreams!

The moment he reaches the diner, Keith stops. His breath is labored from running all the way here, and even more from the prospect of actually meeting him. His Blue. He spares a look at his phone, reads Blue’s messages with joy and fear.

Keith‘s hands are trembling as he reaches for the door. Through the glass he can see Lance wiping the counter, singing along to a song that must play over the radio behind him. He loves singing, especially when he‘s got nothing better to do than cleaning the counter. It‘s a slow night, after all.

Another wave of doubt washes through him, but the hope won‘t stop burning in his chest. Keith takes a deep breath, closes his eyes to count down from three and opens the door as he hits zero.

„Oh, welcome,“ Lance greets him with his customer smile, which turns into a real smile as he recognizes Keith. „Can‘t sleep again?“ He tilts his head, a tinge of worry in his eyes, well hidden behind his usual joyful appearance, but if Keith knows one thing about Blue, it‘s that he‘s good in keeping his outward appearance to others in check. At least to the people that don‘t know him as well as Keith does.

The door slowly closes behind him, and Keith realizes that he still hasn‘t said anything. The worry in Lance‘s eyes changes to confusion, and he drops the cleaning rag in the sink behind him to lean on the counter instead. „Are you okay, man?“

„Uhm…“ Keith knows that he should answer, or at least move, but he is frozen to the ground. His brain is a useless mess, the emotions that he‘s clearly not used to feeling, especially so strong, make it hard to form a coherent thought.

Lance is clearly worried now. He rounds the counter and moves towards Keith, stops in front of him to take him in. Keith must look like shit, disheveled hair, dirty clothes, out of breath and sweaty. When Lance opens his mouth to speak, Keith can‘t help himself and blurts all of his thoughts out.

„I-I‘m Red,“ he stutters,  „I mean, Red Paladin. Uhm, with an underscore… and the MCR shirts, and asian, and…“

And that‘s all that‘s in his brain right now, because he is still a mess, even more with Lance standing so close to him, blue eyes widening and lips apart in a gasp. He looks utterly cute, too much for Keith‘s poor heart to handle right now, and it‘s beating so loud that Lance can surely hear it, with no counter or table to keep him from taking a step closer.

„Red?“ he whispers.

Keith nods helplessly, feels a hot blush on his cheeks from Lance‘s staring. The diner is uncommonly quiet, no coffee maker brewing, no grill in the kitchen sizzling, only the radio that plays an old love song from the 70‘s and Keith‘s thundering heartbeat.

„You are my Red?“ Lance breathes out. When Keith nods again, Lance runs his hands through his hair and tangles his curls in his fingers. „Holy shit.“ It sounds just as perplex as Keith feels, with the stun clear in his face, eyes wide and never breaking his staring.

Keith still doesn‘t know what to say, since Blue- since Lance is the eloquent one out of the two of them. He just stares, and stares, and takes Lance in as if he‘s seeing him for the first time… which he kind of _is._ Because now Keith sees Blue for the first time, now he finally knows how his smiles look like, how his laugh sounds like, and why Keith‘s heartbeat rings like a loud ‚told you so‘ in his own ears.

Lance catches himself first. He huffs quietly, the corners of his mouth turning a bit upwards and he takes a step closer. „I can‘t believe it,“ he murmurs, his voice so low and shocked and… happy?

„Me neither, uhm-“ Keith breaths out. It‘s definitely reassuring that Lance is just as taken aback as Keith, amazed about the coincidence and happy (at least Keith hopes that he‘s happy) about finally meeting.

With his next breath, Keith‘s brain finally starts to settle. His heart is still a mess, but at least a few coherent thoughts pass trough his head. Keith looks at Lance, a smile forming on is lips. „Hey.“

„Hey.“ Lance mirrors the smile with a chuckle, easily playing along with Keith, just like he always does. „I‘m Lance.“

„Keith,“ he nods, smile forming to a grin when Lance holds his hand out to shake. Keith takes it, lets Lance grip him firmly, and doesn‘t let go again, hoping it‘s not too awkward. But holding Lance is just so nice.

Lance looks at their hands, and while his face doesn‘t really betray him, his cherry-red ears sure do. „Well, it‘s sure nice to meet you, Keith.“

„It‘s nice to meet you, too.“

When they finally settle and take a seat on the counter to have some late-night coffee and an overdue talk, Keith can‘t help to think about his beliefs. He still won‘t allow himself to believe in magic, or soulmates, or fate, or the universe having a bigger plan.

That doesn‘t stop him from sending a silent ‚thank you‘ to whoever is listening though. Just in case.


	28. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fifth and final part of my Avian Au!  
> [ Here is Part One!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17985500/chapters/42485147)  
> [ Here is Part Two!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603475)  
> [ Here is Part Three!!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603526)  
> [ Here is Part Four!!!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409976/chapters/43603643)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** Warning: Implied nudity!

Lance‘s family rummages through the tree, and the breeze outside rustles through the leaves, flushing up some birds who have been singing their songs in the early morning sun. The winds sweeps through Lance‘s nest, plays with his blankets and the curtains at the window, and runs it‘s soft touch over Lance‘s hair.

All those homey sounds are music in his ear, singing of joy and peace and that everyone he loves is safe. It doesn’t manage to wake him from his slumber though. He is happy, and content, and so, so warm, and nothing in the world could make him move from his current spot in Keith‘s arms.

Nothing, but…

„Morning,“ Keith mumbles into his neck, his soft breath tickling Lance‘s skin. Keith stretches his wings out, only to curl them back around Lance and snuggle closer into the warmth of the nest. He murmurs a few more words, but they get lost in the pile of pillows and blankets around them.

Before Lance can respond, Keith is already asleep again.

Lance huffs quietly. He doesn‘t know if he should feel amused or annoyed at Keith for waking him, but with his black, heavy wings pressing him down into his soft nest, and with the sun warming his back and Keith‘s body warming his side, the choice is pretty easy.

Trying to fall back asleep is not an option for Lance, because he knows that he will only feel groggy for the rest of the day if he does. He opts to stay awake instead, and listens to his family making breakfast a few floors down and the soft breaths of Keith next to him.

Lance‘s fingers find the longest of Keith‘s black feathers without even noticing first. They are so soft from Lance‘s almost daily preening, and all the times Lance brushes his fingers over them. He loves everything about Keith‘s wings, their color and their strength, their span and the way they curl around Lance‘s body whenever they are together. But most of all he loves their softness, especially like now when he can feel them on his naked skin, and enjoy the feeling and warmth on his body.

Lance‘s other hand is currently stuck under Keith‘s cheek, squishing Keith‘s face slightly, which makes him look even younger than he actually is. When Keith is asleep and his features are slack and relaxed, he looks almost like he did when he was a child, innocent and full of wonder about everything the world has to offer.

Sometimes, when they are stargazing together, and they see a falling star in the night sky, he looks just the same, and it fills Lance‘s heart knowing that he is the only one who gets to see Keith like this.

A loud clang from the kitchen followed by a few curses make Keith jump in his sleep. As the curses get quieter and the shuffling downstairs picks up again, Keith lazily blinks his eyes open, taking his time to take in his surroundings until a smile spreads on his lips as he snuggles into Lance‘s hand.

„Hey,“ Lance chuckles quietly, „no falling back asleep. I think breakfast is ready soon.“

Keith hums softly, takes a deep breath and releases it with a sleepy sigh. „Good Morning,“ he murmurs, not letting himself get disturbed by the sounds and the light, and Lance‘s fingers poking his cheek to keep him awake.

Only when Keith grumbles to indicate that he will wake up for real if the poking stops, Lance greets him with a breathy ‚good morning‘ as well.

It takes a few more moments for Keith to wake up completely, since he is not a morning person like Lance. It would work better if Lance had something warm to offer, like breakfast or tea, or cuddles in Lance‘s nest, although they tend to make both of them even sleepier than before.

Keith interrupts Lance‘s thoughts, and his staring, after a while. „Are you free today?“ His voice is still hoarse, barely a whisper, and together with the dreamy look of Keith in his bed it stirs something hot in Lance‘s stomach, something he felt a lot last night.

Lance takes a minute to think, trying to remember the schedule for today, even though his brain is still half asleep. It takes him a while to finally answer, a smile spreading on his lips when he looks at Keith again. „I am.“

Keith mirrors his smile, small and dopey and so full of love. „Do you want to fly with me then?“

„Of course I do,“ Lance answers, as if there was any chance that he would decline the offer of spending more time with his love. „Where are we flying to?“

„It‘s a surprise.“ Keith cheek gets hot in Lance‘s hand, the blush spreading over his face and neck. He tries to bury his face in the pillow, though he is not very successful with Lance still holding him. Instead he lowers his eyes, mumbling the next words shyly. „I still have to court you properly, after all.“

Lance wonders how Keith can feel so sheepish when it comes to their courting, when they already skipped most of the process with all the stuff they did the previous night. Lance glances down to the naked skin that isn‘t covered by black and brown wings, raising an eyebrow when the lack of coyness surprises even him.

When he looks up, Keith is still blushing, not taking his eyes of Lance‘s face with a little frown. Lance can‘t help but smile slyly as he shuffles a bit closer to press his chest against Keith‘s and intertwine their legs, making sure that Keith can feel every inch of warm skin without any feather or sheet in between.

The little squeak deep down in Keith‘s throat gets ignored when Keith sends Lance a murderous look, even though Lance hardly sees it with how hard he‘s laughing. Keith tries to push him off, but with how little strength he is putting in each shove, he can‘t be serious. In the end, Keith‘s hands settle around Lance‘s waist, the warm pressure making Lance sigh out loud.

„With all the presents you made me already, I don‘t need more courting,“ Lance says, sincerity clear in his voice. Since their first kiss, Lance had enough time to think about everything Keith has done for him, and everything Keith is to him. He doesn‘t want any official courting if it means that he can‘t have Keith like this for a while, naked and content and happy in his nest. „I just need you.“

Keith takes Lance‘s hand in his and moves it towards his soft lips. „You have me,“ he whispers while kissing Lance‘s wrist, right on the spot where he will place his mating mark in the very near future.

Lance‘s smile brightens, unable to keep all his emotions for this man contained. „Then I‘m happy.“


	29. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of my angst fic.  
> Part One "Fantasy"   
> Part Two "Memory"

What would take Keith a couple of days with a gryphon, or two weeks with a horse takes his troops almost a month. The way towards the south is long and exhausting, even with the strong north wind pushing them towards their goal.

  
Keith lets his troops stop every now and then, to keep morale up and the tiredness from walking at bay. Not everyone is as used to the long marches like him, and he takes the responsibility over the wellbeing of his people seriously. What awaits them in the southerns fisher towns is nothing but death and destruction anyway, and the Galra can wait to be defeated for a day or two longer.

  
And quite honestly, Keith prefers to put off the devil day of seeing his destroyed home as well.

  
Halfway across the country they meet Kolivan and his troops. They stay in their temporary camp until everyone is well rested, and the plans for the attack on the Galran border are foolproof and guaranteed to succeed without any losses.

  
Keith makes sure to bring in the expertise of his strategist Leifsdottier, as well as his experience of the surrounding area, even if it hurts to think about his home. But he‘s willing to work through the pain for the means of freeing the place he used to call home, and the village and sea Lance loved so dearly.

  
With the plans set and the soldiers rested, they continue on their way towards the ocean. The landscape changes from wild forests to dusty wastelands, from mountains to plains and the other way around. But with every step Keith starts to recognize more and more, until they reach the street that leads from the capital straight to the fisher villages.

  
His usually so chatty troops say unusually quiet the longer they walk. Keith would like to put in on the exhaustion, or the anticipation of the fight awaiting them, but he knows that most of them know about his past live in these lands, and the loss that made him never come back.

  
Painful memories come whenever they pass a place that held beautiful memories to Keith. A big tree in a beautiful field full of flowers where Lance sometimes waited for Keith to return, meeting him there with delicious food, refreshing water and the big smile Keith missed on his travels.

  
Or the forest where Keith taught Lance to hunt, only to realize that Lance can handle a bow just as well as the sails on his ship. Keith ended being the one getting a lesson in archery and how to move with the sounds of the forest to get close to the prey without getting noticed.

  
Whenever Keith gets lost in old memories, Griffin or Kinkade are there to bring him back. A subtle pat on the shoulder, or a quiet conversation keeps them from attracting Kolivan‘s attention. The grumpy captain does not like to see an officer getting distracted by mere trees, even though he lost just as much to show a little bit of patience.

  
They walk on the street for a couple of days until they get close enough to the Galran border until they have to fear spies or scouts hiding behind each tree or bush they pass. The only wise decision is to leave the path and walk through the forest, hidden by thick branches and leaves until they reach the fisher tows.

  
Keith has to lead the troops now, has to make sure to choose paths that are easy to walk on, but keep the mass of people hidden. It‘s gives him enough time and work to forget about his feelings for now, to keep his mind clear and focussed for the task ahead.

  
Days pass without any incident, and they almost get suspicious with how little resistance they find on the way. Their own scouts can‘t find any sign of the Galra until they reach the broad river that served as the border before war.

  
With the fisher towns destroyed and all people declared dead, Altea had to move it‘s own troops away from the ocean to secure the border in the north, but it seems that the Galra did just the same.

  
Keith and Kolivan are still careful though, not trusting the lack of resistance the slightest. They don‘t believe that the Galra have abandoned this place until they see it for themselves.

  
The further they get, the more restless everyone feels. The anticipation for the upcoming battle is sizzling in the air, but the feeling Keith loved so much in the past fills him with dread of what is to come.

As they reach the first town, everyone is on edge. Keith sends his scouts ahead to clear the area, Only to come back with information everyone had known beforehand. The town is empty, nothing but smoke and ashes left, and in between the bodies of the fallen. With nothing else to see, they move on. 

The image doesn‘t change, town after town destroyed and raided of everything valuable. Broken windows, burned houses and piles of bodies, not even a single grave dug for these poor souls.

The only living things are insects and animals nagging on the rotten flesh of sailors and fishermen, their wives and children, and Keith has to avert his eyes to keep the food in his stomach. Other soldiers are not that strong.

Keith guides the troops along the ocean, the street takes back by nature as tall grass and wild bushes line the way. Each town they pass is a town closer to Lance‘s home, and Keith counts down the days until he sees the roof he shared his first kiss with his love.

This time, Keith can‘t stand still while the scouts secure the area. Can‘t look at his destroyed home without having to go there himself, can‘t watch the bodies decaying in the street from the safety of the forest.

So he goes with them, leads his men and women through his home, looks at every dead body while trying to keep himself from searching for a sign that this is the boy he used to love. Keith doesn‘t know why he feels relieved every time he realizes it‘s not him laying on the floor.

They reach the small port, finding nothing there but more rubble and a few destroyed nets. Not even the boats are here, probably taken by the Galra to use on their own. They were good boats after all, handcrafted by the people that knew the ocean better than themselves.

Keith lets the scouts turn around, sends one lingering look over the ocean and the majestic clouds that cover the sun today. He can smell the rain in the air, knows that a storm is coming and reminds himself to find a place for his troops to take cover from the harsh, salty winds and sudden downpours that tend to surprise unfamiliar visitors a lot.

The way back towards Kolivan is easy now, and they quickly leave the port area and the little wooden shacks that used to hold small boats and fishing tools behind them. They are halfway through the town, in the middle of the little plaza that functioned as a market place when something catches Keith‘s attention.

There is movement in the corner of a street, something small vanishing behind a house. Keith draws his sword, the sound alarming his soldiers who copy him quickly. They get into position, swordsmen in the front, archers in the back while they follow their commander towards the house.

Even with rubble blocking most of the way, the group moves silently over the plaza and into the street. The shadow is lurking in the small alley, crouching on the floor and breathing heavily. From his position Keith can‘t make out a face, or even the color of their clothes, but he can see that they are definitely human. 

Each step closer to the person makes the lump in Keith‘s stomach bigger and bigger. He has a very bad feeling about this. His eyes meet Kinkade‘s next to him, trying to communicate his worry with him. He nods, understanding the situation and sends a few hand signs towards the soldiers in their backs, making sure that they keep their guard up no matter what happens. 

Keith takes one step after another, making sure to not startle the person with his sudden presence by dragging his feet over the ground with each step. 

The alley is an open street, and nothing is keeping the person from running away, so Keith isn‘t sure why they‘re not fleeing anymore like they did before. He clears his throat, the sound awfully loud in the prickling silence around him, and the person jumps.

„Hey, hey,“ Keith murmurs quickly, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. „We don‘t want to hurt you.“

Only a few feet separate them now, and even in the dim light of the alley Keith can make out the person clearly now. Covered in a dirty coat that does nothing to hide the even dirtier lumps they wear as clothes, dark hair sticking in clumps to their head, and every inch of exposed skin full of dried blood, hay and musk. 

„Can you look at me?“ Keith asks carefully, ignoring the shiver that takes over the person‘s body as he gets close enough to touch their shoulder. 

The person shuffles on their bare feet, using their hands to brace themselves on the floor as they slowly turn around. Keith holds his breath, stands as still as possible, hoping to not frighten the person even more, but he can‘t help but take a step back when he finally sees the face of the person.

With him the soldiers behind him gasp loudly. 

Big, blue eyes open wide in fear are what he sees first. Next is the round face, the missing baby teeth, the little hands holding his coat closed right under his neck...

„A child?“ Keith wonders out loud, ignoring the whispers behind him as he crouches down on eye level with the boy.

The boy doesn‘t look at him anymore though, opting to stare at one of the broken windows behind his troop. His shivering gets worse, and he holds his breath, closes his eyes and makes himself as small as possible. 

Keith raises a hand but stops midway, looking at his people for some help, when another shadow catches his eyes. 

And suddenly it clicks.

Keith jumps back on his feet, whirls around, his mother‘s dagger whizzing through the air and hitting the shadow before his mouth catches up to warn his soldiers. 

„It‘s a trap!“  
As soon as the words are out, the Galra attack. They jump out of broken windows on the ground floor and around the corners of the alleys. About ten soldiers and a handful of their slaves quickly surround them and engage in a fight. 

Keith can barely dodge an attack from a massive soldier who has ugly scars in his face and an even uglies snarl on his lips. He swings his sword with the strength of a bull, pushing Keith into a wall with a kick to his chest which leaves him breathless. 

The child beside him whimpers loudly, dragging the attention from the Galran soldier on him for a second. It‘s enough for Keith to gather himself and fight back, his sword slicing through the air, right into a ridge in the armor of the Galra.

The soldier screams, staggering back until he reaches the other side of the alley and slides down the wall, the live vanishing from his eyes as he hits the ground.

Keith pays him no mind, grabs the child instead and pushes him around the corner of the house. 

He falls to his knees, tightens his grip on the kid‘s shoulder and holds him close to his face so the Galra can‘t hear him speak. „Do you know the big oak in the north?“

The child nods quickly, though it could also be the trembling of his body. He hopes for the best as he pushes the kid away. „My friends are waiting there. Go!“

Keith doesn‘t have time to urge the child to hurry as the next Galra attacks him with a loud scream. It‘s only a slave, weak and unexperienced, and Keith knocks him out without hurting him too badly before moving onto a soldier trying to take down one of his archers. 

The Galra are strong, but Keith has prepared his troops for that. What they lack in strength is made up by agility and speed, as well as countless hours of memorizing fighting strategies until their bodies knew them better than walking. 

One Galra after another falls to their swords, until there is only one left. Victory or death is their usual credo, so Keith is surprised to see the Galra jump through a window to escape his inevitable death. Keith is quick on his heels, not thinking twice as he follows the Galra to take him down. 

He can hear the footsteps of about half of his troops behind him, the muffled curses of Kinkade trying to keep up as Keith leaves one destroyed room after another behind himself.

Keith is focused on keeping up with the soldier, trying to find a way to corner him, trap him somewhere until his head is clear enough to decide over his fate. He wishes nothing more but revenge for the fallen, but the information he could provide make him consider sparing his life to safe a hundred more.

The Galra runs through several rooms, jumps over fallen beams and through broken walls until he vanishes behind a door. Keith is right behind him, following him without a second thought. He realizes too late that the sound of the Galran footsteps have vanished with him, or that he‘s not trying to flee, but to lead Keith right into a trap. 

The ugly grin of the Galra is the first thing Keith sees, the sun reflecting in the soldier‘s blade right before it vanishes into Keith‘s abdomen the second. The pain doesn‘t register until the Galra pulls out his blade again, the dark red blood flowing over the black metal, just like it does on Keith‘s armor. 

The third thing Keith see‘s is an arrow hitting the center of the Galra‘s neck as he turns away from Keith, the arrowhead pocking out on the other side. A clean kill, something not many archers are able to do. 

The Galra hits the ground the same time Keith‘s legs loose their strength. The pain of his wound is radiating through his whole body at the same time calmness wells through him like the strong waves of his ocean. Laying on the floor makes it hard to breath. Keith can feel the blood steadily streaming out his stomach, the quick loss making him dizzy and the world around loose it‘s color. 

Someone screams his name, but it feels like he‘s far, far away. Keith tries to concentrate on the voice instead of his pain, on the concern and familiarity in the way that person screams for him, at him, to keep his eyes open, to look at him, to not dare to die in his arms. 

Keith‘s life flashes before his eyes, memories and fantasies, but most importantly his past with Lance. Late nights and early mornings together, and every emotion he ever felt for the man that stole his heart. 

Just like his body, his mind is failing him, going insane from all the pain and the certainty of death so close. Keith can feel a wet heat in his eyes, the same on his cheeks, falling on him like the rain. The sky- no, the ocean is right above him, its blue waves drowning Keith, just like- just like…

„Lance…“ he whispers, before the world turns black.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final part of the angst fics!  
> Part One "Fantasy"   
> Part Two "Memory"   
> Part Three "Past"

Death is nothing like Keith imagined. And yes, he did imagine being dead a couple of times before, especially when life became too hard to bear sometimes. He always thought it would be peaceful, quiet, and warm, just like being in the arms of his lover.

But all he feels right now is pain.

His side is burning as if some put hot coals in there, it‘s heat sending waves of pain through his veins that feel like molten iron mixed with lava. His skin feels on fire, and through the thick cloud that is fogging his brain and keeps his mind in a endless maze of pain he can hear a familiar voice calling out his name.  

If only that voice was real, Keith thinks to himself while trying to open his eyes. He‘d rather see the hell he put himself into than keep wandering blindly through the agony of darkness and his angel‘s voice.  

Another wave of pain hits him, and the black around him seems to darken even more. He bears the pain like anyone else would, screaming even though he can‘t even hear himself, struggling against a hold he can‘t feel, and hoping, begging, to make it stop.  

Until it does.  

-xx-

_Kids._

_That‘s what Lance brought up on a warm, sunny day spend lounging on the beach and worrying about nothing but what they should have for dinner later on._

_„I don‘t know if I want to have kids on my own,“ he said out of the blue, eyes fixed on the ocean in front of them, even though his attention was stubbornly on Keith, „but I guess it would be nice.“ His fingers were twitching in Keith‘s hand, a sign that he was nervous, so Keith squeezed them reassuringly, making Lance look at him instead._

_„I never really thought about it,“ Keith confessed after a while. „I never even thought of having a family, or someone who loves me like you do.“_

_Lance shuffled a bit closer, the sand moving around him in little waves, loving his body just like the ocean did, just like Keith did. Keith felt Lance‘s hand peel away from his own and snake around his waist instead, dragging him into his side until they were flush together._

_„Well, I guess it‘s time you start thinking about it,“ Lance murmured, his lips moving from Keith‘s clothed shoulder to his free neck, caressing the skin with the gentlest care and uttermost affection. „Because I‘m not going anywhere.“_

_These words felt like blooming flowers in Keith‘s heart, their warmth spreading through him sickeningly sweet like honey and their meaning sticking piercing him open, leaving him raw and vulnerable and totally unbothered by the fact that Lance could hear his breath hitch, could feel the skip of his heartbeat, could taste his salty tears on his lips as Keith turned around to kiss him gratefully._

-xx-

It‘s still dark when Keith comes to his senses, but in a different kind of way. Instead of blinding pain he feels nothing, as if the melted iron he felt before has solidified in his veins and left his body heavy and useless.  

Prying his eyes open feels is a difficult tasks, because they feel even heavier than his body. It‘s worth it though, because with the darkness around him it‘s easy to make out the moon and the stars in the sky that watch over him through the window right at his bed.  

His bed?

He looks down next, sees the white sheets he can‘t feel and soft curtains that caress his hand as they get blown into the room by a soft ocean breeze. On top of the white blanket is another one, dark and woolen with a pattern Keith recognizes from somewhere, even though he can‘t remember where from.  

He takes a deep breath, the act painful, but the sting soon forgotten as he takes in the familiar fresh and salty smell of his home. It makes him feel a calmness he‘s hardly ever felt in the years of war, and his mind starts to fog over again. With a last, longing look at the stars, Keith falls back asleep.

-xx-

_„Amor, wake up.“_

_Keith opens his eyes, getting blinded by the sun until Lance steps into his sight, creating a shadow so that Keith can see him properly. His hair is longer than Keith is used too, his blue eyes shining like the ocean behind him, and his smile bright and ethereal like always._

_When Keith doesn‘t move from his spot in the warm sand, Lance takes a seat next to him. Keith can see him better now. Lance‘s hair is curled and wet from swimming in the ocean, his skin still glistering with little droplets that race down his toned body, and his smile directed at Keith just as warm as the sun above them and the sand underneath them._

_Lance snakes his hand into Keith‘s, intertwining their fingers and squeezing tightly. His smile turns sad, strained, but still so loving as he looks at Keith, as he takes him in as if they haven‘t spend the whole day together in the sun. „You have to wake up, amor.“_

I am awake, _Keith tries to say, but the words are stuck in his throat. Keith sits up, feels the sand slide like a sheet down his sweaty back and the rays of sunshine heat up the skin on his stomach, breaking through it as if it was warm butter and starting to burn him from the inside._

_Keith frantically searches for Lance‘s gaze, but Lance isn‘t looking at his eyes anymore, but at his stomach, where the skin is splitting apart and leaving him raw and bleeding and in so, so much pain. Keith is squeezing their intertwined fingers, trying to reach Lance, trying to make him look into his eyes again, reassure him that he‘s fine, that everything will be alright. But all Keith can do is watch Lance‘s eyes turn worried and frightened, staring at Keith‘s bleeding wound until everything goes dark._

_His strength is leaving him, but Keith holds onto Lance‘s hand as long as possible. The last thing he hears before the dream washes away with the waves of the nearby ocean is Lance‘s voice, pleading to him. „Please, amor, please don‘t leave me again.“_

I won‘t _, Keith wants to answer so, so bad._

-xx-

The line between life and death is too blurred for Keith to see clearly anymore. Or was it always that blurred? When did the lines started to appear in the first place, and when did Keith start to notice them?

He doesn‘t know, doesn‘t want to know anymore. Keith feels lost in the rhythm of heaven and hell, the mixture of his memories with Lance and the reality without him. Sometimes things clear up a little bit, enough for Keith to remember why he is hurting in the first place, and why the pain in his heart feels different from the pain in the rest of his body.  

But mostly, Keith is lost. Lost in the ‚had been‘s‘ of the past, and the ‚what if‘s‘ of the future that he knows will never come. Of the stars that shone when he first kissed those plump lips, and the sun that rose the morning they will adopt their first child.  

Of the waves that played with their boat when Lance taught him how to sail, and the wind that runs through their hair when Lance teaches his grandchildren just the same.  

Of the water around their feet when Keith realizes that he wants nothing more than to tie their lives together, and the sand under his knee when he finally gets to ask Lance that important question.  

The memories burn into him like the pendant of the necklace that‘s placed right above his heart, and the short flashes of his stolen future split his heart open like the blade of the Galra that took his life. Or at least tried to, because the pain he is feeling can‘t be nothing but the burden of life and the actual wound in his stomach.  

Keith wants nothing more than for all this pain to finally stop.  

-xx-

_His chest feels heavy with all the weight on it, but it‘s not his emotions that are almost crushing him. When Keith runs his hand over the person laying on him, he can feel soft curls, their tips a bit crusty from the salty water of the ocean, a few knots in them from the strong breeze that came during the evening._

_Keith runs his fingers through Lance‘s hair, trying to detangle a few strands without waking his sleeping husband. Since Lance is still working on his ship during the earliest morning hours, they don‘t tend to wake up together, so Keith enjoys the lazy morning for what it‘s worth._

_The bed is a bit crowded, but he doesn‘t mind as long as no one falls out of it. Smothering his left arm with his face is their youngest son, a Galran boy Keith found all alone in an abandoned village that Altea reclaimed after winning the war. His hair is as black as Keith‘s, and just as messy as Lance‘s, though he keeps it long enough to braid it during the day._

_Their oldest daughter is close to falling off the bed already, being pushed away by their middle child. She tends to leave the youngest two sleep closer to Keith and Lance whenever they come around, and even though she has woken up from landing on her butt before Keith could safe her multiple times already, she never complains._

_Keith is proud of his little family, happy about every single one of the people that occupy the way to small bed and steal his blanket all the time. He enjoys every little twitch and snore, every breath they blow right into his ears, every puddle of salvia that lands on his sleeping shirt and every accidental kick into his sides when they try to maneuver into a more comfortable position._

_On top of his chest Lance moves his head to the side, his eyes slowly fluttering open and focussing on his daughters before he lifts his chin to look at Keith instead. Their eyes lock together and they break out in a soft smile, saying nothing and everything by just staring at each other the way they always do._

_Those four people are Keith‘s family, the people he loves the most, the people he would live and die for every single day. They are his past, his present and his future, and Keith be damned if he would ever let them be taken from him._

-xx-

A soft breeze in his hair is what wakes Keith this time.  

No pain, no molten iron, no hot lava, no sting in his eyes and no bad memories.  

Only the wind, and the sound of the ocean outside the window.

Keith lets his eyes closed for a while. It must be night with how quiet it is, and with no light trying to shine through his eyelids. Everything is calm; the sea outside, the wind in his hair, even the pulse of the hand holding his.

_The hand…?_

Keith squeezes it, enjoys the feeling of soft skin on his own calloused one and the warmth it seems to spread to his whole body. He knows that hand, knows every ridge and scar from building boats, knows how it‘s owner took very special care of them to make sure they stay as soft as they are.  

He even knows the ring on the finger next to the pinkie, the silvern band he gave him so many years ago as a promise, just between them, for the future to come. Not an actual engagement gift, just something Keith found and thought it would look nice on him.

Keith breaths out slowly and opens his eyes.  

He‘s finally able to see more of the room now that he is not in pain anymore, now that the fog is not clouding his mind. The full moon outside illuminates the white curtains on the window and the woolen blanket on top of him. Keith can make out the pattern on it, white waves in a blue ocean, the same one Lance‘s mother made for him for his sixteenth birthday.  

And right next to it, head resting on in Keith‘s leg, cheek squished slightly and making him look so much younger, breathing in deeply and out just the same and sleeping as tight as the bright moon will let him, is Lance.

„Lance…“ Keith whispers since his throat is too dry to get anything more out. His voice sounds like it hasn‘t been used in a very long time, deep and hoarse and very breathy, but it gets Lance‘s hand in his own twitching as reaction.  

Keith squeezes his fingers again, tries to clear his throat a little bit and tries again. „Lance?“

It isn‘t enough to wake him immediately. Lance stirs for a little while, his hand squeezing Keith back softly, his brows furrowing and relaxing over and over again, until he finally opens his eyes.

Gosh, how Keith has missed those eyes. They are just as blue as Keith remembers them, but he feels himself falling for them all over again. The ocean in those eyes is swirling lazily, moving over the the curtains and the blankets until they land on their intertwined fingers.  

Lance smiles down, plays with Keith‘s hand and caress it softly, not looking up until Keith squeezes his fingers again. Only now Lance‘s eyes move to him, slow and tired and oh so loving, widening when their gazes meet.

Lance‘s breath stops, and the heartbeat under his skin stalls for a second before it resumes much faster than before. His next breath is shaky, just like the smile twitching in the corners of his mouth, hopeful and disbelieving at the same time. 

„Keith?“ he whispers softly, making Keith‘s inside churn pleasantly, and his heart swell with emotions.  

„Hey.“

Lance chuckles wetly, tears streaming down his cheeks before Keith can stop them. „You‘re awake.“

Keith raises an eyebrow, the act pretty exhausting, even if it isn‘t much. He can feel the tiredness creeping up on him again, but he tries his best to stay awake for a little longer, to be able to look at his love as long as possible.

„You‘re alive,“ Keith answers, his hoarse voice full of wonder and the same disbelieve that‘s clear in Lance‘s voice.  

Lance nods, a big grin appearing on his face, and Keith‘s heart melts. How long has it been since he has seen that smile in person? Too long, he knows that.  

„Everyone‘s safe,“ Lance says after a second, his eyes shining with pride and happiness. „Even my nephew, thanks to you.“

Keith is too tired to think about the meaning of those words, can do nothing but lay here, look at the love of his life and let all those feelings wash over him like the waves on the beach outside. His eyes begin to feel heavy, and Keith struggles to fight the exhaustion.

Lance seems to realize that Keith is having problems staying awake right now. He gets up from his seat and moves closer to Keith instead, sits right next to him on the bed and leans down until their foreheads are touching.  

„You need to rest, amor,“ he whispers while running his fingers through Keith‘s bangs, moving them aside to kiss him right above his eyebrows, and his temple, and his cheeks, and…

Keith hums into the kiss, tries his best to lean up to deepen it. He can feel his the wet heat in his own eyes, as well as some tears from Lance falling on his cheeks and rolling down his face. He can‘t even start to describe the rush of emotions from feeling Lance‘s lips on his again. It‘s everything he ever wanted in the last few years, everything he dreamt of and everything he yearned for.  

Keith finally feels whole again.

„Sleep, amor. I‘ll be here when you wake up,“ Lance whispers against his lips, his smile mirrored on Keith‘s face. Keith nods tiredly, takes another long look in his favorite ocean before closing his eyes.  

Briefly he can feel the bed dip a bit further, can feel Lance‘s hand on his chest and his head on his shoulder. Sleep comes to him quickly, and the first time since this war started, Keith is finally at peace.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
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> Comments mean the world to me, so please tell me what you think about this fic. 
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> Get more info about me, my writing, and how to support me on my tumblr.


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